Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Five Phases
by Temp 777
Summary: Enter a boy turned Totodile, dropped unexpectedly in a world run completely by Pokemon! But when an age old, cataclysmic horror involving imbalance between yin and yang returns, can Cade and co. resolve this crisis and save life as they know it? Rated T
1. Chapter 1: WHATISTHISIDONTEVEN

Hello peoples. Apparently, my first attempt at writing a PMD fic was murdered in the night. In other words, I can't edit and ergo can't publish new chapters on it any more. So, I'm going to place the two original chapters from the other fic on this take two version of the story and continue on as if nothing happened. Bet you anything as soon as I do this, my other story will end up being normal OR this one will die too. XD

Happy Reading and Reviewing!

~Temp

Warning: This chapter includes various scenes of minute profanity and blood. You have been warned; when it comes to mystery dungeon, I like my fics violent. No innocent adorable little pokemon here...ok, fine they're innocent and adorable. But they kick a**.

Disclaimer: Pokemon and all Pokemon mentioned in this chapter (Totodile, Charmander, Lucario, Rhydon, and Abra) are creations of Nintendo and Game Freak. All credit is due to them for their marvelous creations, and I'll take some just for this random idea for a fic that I got. Go Pokemon!

* * *

"_Hey!"_

"…"

"_Hey, c'mon, answer me!"_

"….."

"_Wha…? C'mon, don't tell me I have to rely on somebody as lazy as this for help. WAKE UP!"_

"….Nnnn…Huh?"

"_Wow…you look hopeless with that face…"_

"Wait…what? Who are you? Who turned out the lights!"

"_Give it a rest, will ya? And there are no lights here, so just bear with me, this is very important."_

"Ummm…a-alright…Who are you again?"

"_Aaaarrghhh! Look, for simplicity's sake, I'm your conscience and you're dreaming. But I am going to be asking the questions. When we're done, maybe then you can ask me yours? Deal?"_

"Ok. Fine by me…I guess. This is really weird."

"_Fufufufu… you're saying this now. Anyway, here's my first question! If you find yourself eating in a restaurant but suddenly realize nobody else is there, what do you do?"_

"That's an odd question. And if there's nobody there then where did I get the food fr-"

"_Just answer the question!"_

"Yeesh, ok, ok already. I'd probably just keep chowin' down 'til I was done. No harm in it."

"_Good job! Ok, next one. The last cookie in the jar is yours, but your friend nabs it first. How do you react?"_

"How dare they! I unleash my ultimate rage at the loss of my cookie!"

"_Wow…you must really like cookies…"_

"Snickerdoodles are my fave. How about your fa-"

"_Question three! What do you do when you feel really happy?"_

"I like dancing a lot. Especially upbeat dances."

"…_Ok, guess that works. If you really like somebody and you want to reveal this to them, how do you go about doing it?"_

"Hmmm, I'd hang out with them more often. Maybe play games, watch movies a bit. Then tell them sincerely how I feel."

"_Awww…how sweet! Fifth question! Do you consider yourself genius?"_

"Yes."

"_No argument there. You spot an old, derelict ship on an island. What are your first thoughts?"_

"My treasure senses are tingling... I say loot the sucker!"

"_Boy, you're gonna fit this role perfectly if you have a knack for treasure hunting…"_

"Huh?"

"_Nothing, almost done! You're relaxing on a summer afternoon when your friend sprays you with the hose. Your reaction is…?"_

"Kind of my friend to cool me off, but I retaliate with my armory of water balloons."

"_Ok, last question. Do you believe in good and evil?"_

"…"

"_Hey, are you still awake?"_

"Yes, and no. It's all from perspective. One's good could be another's evil, and vice versa."

"_Hmmm…well said. Ok, the results are in then! You're the jolly type!"_

"One could say that…I guess."

"_Ok, tell me if any of the following isn't true. You tend to buddy up well with people, always looking for a new friend. When nobody is around, you feel deprived of energy; dead even. You hate restriction of almost any kind unless you feel it is truly justified and or necessary. You enjoy expression, and even if it doesn't mesh with yours, you can tolerate and get along with a differing opinion. Plus, you like to dance randomly. If there is no music, you create your own. Like dancing, you're life is never at rest as you jump from one chapter to the next. You never EVER abandon your friends because you know how important friendship is, and most likely you have had an experience to where you can't ever let yourself not enjoy life."_

"Who paid you to stalk me?"

"_On top of it all, you have naïve innocence. No matter. From now on, you are the bearer of the title 'Third Phase'."_

"The Third Phase? What's tha-?"

"_Sorry, I was wrong about the q&a period at the end. I look forward to meeting you one day, but you have to wake up now. So wake up! WAKE UP!"_

* * *

The rustling of leaves like sweet symphony accompanied the brisk breeze that blew across a golden plain. The tall grass, like long needles comprised of sunlight, bowed over and reared up again and again. The field was like an ocean of light. Nearby, a shimmering stream ran, its clean water shining like crystal. Its flow cut through the plain like quick silver, and the water gurgled, bubbled, and eddied along its way. From the creek, tall trees grew, sporting bright orange leaves and small blue fruits, and conducted the orchestra of trembling leaves and creaking limbs.

A lone being lay silent among the tall golden grass of the field, not stirring at all and apparently asleep. Eventually, its brow furrowed as if disturbed, and it opened its eyes slowly. It squinted then when it looked up into the sun. "Nggh…what a freaky dream…" the being said to himself with a low grumble. Propping himself up, the being looked around the field, though it didn't see much beyond the golden veil of the grass that stretched above his head.

"That's some tall grass," he thought aloud. The being then did a retake as he realized the situation. "Wait…when did I come to a field?" he asked. "And…when did I fall asleep?" He took a little claw up to his head and scratched in thought, trying to remember anything that could help him out. Alas, nothing came to the poor thing. "Ahhh man…this is just weird." He said again to himself as he let his face fall into his claws and rubbed sleep from his eyes…

"Wha…! Huh!" He took his face out of his hands, or his would be hands. These were not hands, they were more like little blue stubs that had tiny fingers at the end. "Nope, this is just not real. Not real!" he assured himself, slightly frantic about this phenomenon. "I'm still dreaming! Right, I'll be waking up now." He closed his eyes, and opened them. He was still in the golden field. "Wha! Nononononono, no. This isn't happening!" Hearing running water, the being crashed through the brush until he came upon and literally tripped into the stream. If it weren't for his rush, he would have taken a moment and felt how soothing the cool water was on his body, and how humble and at home he felt in it. But he wasn't thinking that at the moment.

"Aggh! I'm wet! Ok, water! I need a reflection!" He climbed out of the water and found where the stream pooled, waiting for the ripple to disappear, glaring at it with ever growing impatience. This was rewarded with a shock that just about killed him. Because apparently, he was about a foot tall now, primarily blue, had an angular face with big eyes, and a large mouth with rows of fangs. On his chest was a light yellow pattern in the shape of a V. And, as he turned around slightly, he saw a red fin and line similar to a small scar and, to his ultimate dismay, a stubby little tail. He was, in all respects form wise, a Totodile. There was a moment of pause and soft breathing before…

A young Charmander traversed the sea of shining grass, unsure of his initial decision to come here. "Mmmm…I know that this place is dangerous, but…" he breathed in deeply. "If the mart in town doesn't have any, then this dungeon is the only local place to find Oran Berries." The Charmander walked along, making sure his tail didn't flick a spark onto a piece of grass. Arceus alone knew what would happen if a dungeon like this one caught fire. Speaking of dungeon, it sure was weird. "I must have gone down three floors now, but each time there's still sun." He looked around again, and noticed he couldn't find the way he got onto this floor of the dungeon in the first place. "Ohhh…now I don't know how to go back. I'm…lost…" The Charmander said this very subtly, realizing that he was now in a dire situation without the aid of an Escape Orb, of which he did not have. The only way to get out of a mystery dungeon without one of those was to finish it. "Oh…no! Th-this isn't…ummm…oh man, I'm so screwed! How am I gonna get outta he-

**_"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"_**

The Charmander jumped about a foot in the air and even yelped a little in surprise at the terrified cry. "I guess I'm not the only one in here then…but it could also be a Forgotten. But…if it's a Forgotten…! But if it's not… But what if they're both…Ohhh…"The Charmander, remembering his duty and plucking up his courage, ran to the source of the scream. "I'm coming to rescue you, hold on!" he yelled desperately as he wound through the grass. Finally bursting through the brush, the Charmander came upon quite a scene. Before him was a running creek, and beside it was a Totodile. A Totodile that looked completely out of his wits and was screaming directly into the water at the top of his lungs.

"Uhhh…hey there!" The Charmander said to the Totodile, hoping its weird nature didn't mean it was some feral Pokemon. The Totodile, hearing a new voice, turned towards its owner.

"A Ch-Charmander? Where's its trainer then? Or is it a wild one? Then who was tal-"

The Charmander cocked his head to one side in confusion. "I'm not wild, that's for sure. And by trainer, if you mean Squad leader, Reiki is ba-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGGGGHHH! Talking Demon Charmander!" The Totodile yelled again, falling on his back and scuffling away to "safety," all the while pointing dramatically at the Charmander who was apparently very taken aback from the accusation.

"Oh…so…you think I'm a demon…huh?" the poor lizard said with his head hung low. The Totodile paused his melodrama and noticed now that Charmander was beginning to cry.

"No, wait! Sorry, I didn't mean…well, I did. But I was just surprised you could talk!" Charmander was sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes now before looking back at the Totodile.

"sniff…What do you mean cuz I could talk?" The Totodile acted dumbfounded.

"Because you're a Charmander, duh! Pokemon don't talk unless their psychic or somethin'. They just say their names over and over!"

Charmander blinked…and then bust up laughing until he was crying for that reason instead. "Hehehahahaha! That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. And how can you say that when you're a pokemon!" Totodile frowned and did his best to cross his stubby little arms.

"Because I'm not a pokemon, I'm a human. So I have an obvious explanation as to why. YOU, on the other hand, do not!"

Charmander smirked. "Uh-huh. Right, human. And I suppose that you're also here to grant me three wishes right?" He giggled at his own joke.

"Aha. Aha. Ahaaa, so funny," Totodile replied in deadpan. "But it's true, I'm a human, and…and…"

"And?" Charmander continued.

Totodile blinked. "And I don't remember anything. I don't remember…where I live. Or what day it is. Or how old I am…hhhh!" The Totodile stood upright with shock. "My name! I don't remember my name! Dangit, why can't I remember my own naaaaame!" With one final shout of rebellion against his cruel fate, the Totodile fell forward into the water, his head submerged in the stream.

The Charmander blinked in confusion and worry for the Totodile. Cautiously approaching him, Charmander pat Totodile on the back. "Well, one thing's for sure. You can't drown yourself because even if you were human you're not anymore. You're a pokemon, specifically a water type." Bubbles rose to the surface in response, accompanied by a literally 'bubbly' moan. Totodile pulled his head out of the water.

"Yeah, well, might as well go with it for now," Totodile muttered. "I can't say I really know what to do anyway."

Charmander groaned. "You and me both, pal. I don't have any easy way out of this dungeon and so that means we have to get to the bottom of it in order to get out." Totodile blinked as he tried to digest that he was in a dungeon.

"Wait, we can't be in a dungeon. We aren't underground!" Charmander shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, that's a mystery dungeon for you. I don't know about where you came from, but I've already gone down 3 floors of this place."

Totodile's right eye twitched involuntarily. "Wha…? Ok, well then let's find the stairs back up out of here then." He suggested brightly.

Charmander shook his head. "Can't, they disappeared. So our only option is t-"

Charmander was cut short and both the little pokemon cringed with fear at the sound of a bellowing roar not to far off from them. Charmander's face grew terrified. "Oh no…Oh no, oh no, OH NO!"

Totodile looked back and forth between the lizard and the direction of the roar frantically. "Oh no what? Oh no WHAT?" Charmander barely got his response out between shaky breaths.

"I-it's a F-Forgotten One! We have to get out of here bef-"

With hardly any warning beyond quick heavy thumps in the earth, the horrendous figure of a Rhydon burst through the tall grass and into the clearing surrounding the stream. It wouldn't have been quite horrendous really if it wasn't for its rabid looking state and the roars it kept producing. Its eyes glowed in a sense with black luster that was simply unnatural. Frothy drool spilled from its gaping maw. It was quite the scary spectacle. And then it turned on the two pokemon that were invading its territory. It roared a final time before charging on them.

The Totodile cringed in fear. "That's it, I'm dead. Goodbye horrid world and cruel fate, you've done me in for good this time…" Charmander, now a little over his bit of fright, attempted to stand his ground. Before the Rhydon collided with both of them, he pushed Totodile out of the way and leaped into the air, landing on the monster's head. The Rhydon gave a surprised growl before twisting around, trying to see its opponent. Charmander hung on tight as it was flung about, but it managed to find a good hold before it raised its little clawed hand into the air. It glowed bright white and reflected the sunlight.

"Take this, you rock monster freak!" Charmander jutted his hand forward and it dug into the Rhydon's head. It cried in pain as rocky chips were shucked off by the attack. Charmander leapt off. He was still afraid, but he didn't really have any other choice in the matter than to fight. Forgotten One's were not understanding of reason.

Totodile had been watching this event with a slack jaw and awe in his heart. "How did you DO that?" he asked in amazement. Charmander didn't take much time to address his new fan.

"Look, if you can't fight, you need to get out of here!" Charmander warned Totodile as he turned his worked up gaze upon him. "This is very dangerous and my most effective attack won't hol-"

"Charmander, look out!"

Charmander turned his view back to the battle to see a stone drill thrusting directly towards him. Totodile watched the Horn Attack connect with the little lizard as it was picked off the ground and sent flying into the golden brush. He heard a heavy thump and another one after that, then silence. Until of course, the Rhydon roared and then began charging at him. "Aaaah! Go away!" Totodile hopped out of the way. Though he wasn't used to this new body, it was definite that Totodiles are known for their 'fleet of feet'. He dashed away awkwardly from the Rhydon and into the brush before the rampaging beast had time to turn around. From there, he kept running as fast as possible, tripping occasionally from his inexperience with these alien legs.

Totodile panted heavily, but he didn't feel tired as the adrenaline of coming an inch to losing his life was keeping him going. "This is insane! INSANE! There is no way that this is possible. And that poor Charmander..." Totodile looked around for the lizard. It was an intense attack and Totodile heard what sounded like bone cracking when it occurred. "Charmander! Where are you!"

Suddenly, two weak coughs were heard to Totodile's right. He parted the grass and walked forward to find the little Charmander in a mangled heap on the ground, the tall grass matted down from his path of impact. Blood was pouring out of his mouth and a large gash on his chest, pooling around him. His eyes were unfocused and glassy. His chest was not only bloody and punctured, but also contorted with small bumps here and there hinting at a completely devastated rib cage. Most significant was his tail flame, which was nearly nothing more than a small ember at the moment and diminishing to something smaller. The sight was, to describe it with the utmost delicacy, grotesque.

Totodile rushed forward to him. "Oh my…no. Oh, no you don't! Don't die and leave me with that thing! Please, hold on Charmander!" The Charmander just coughed weakly before raising a weak arm to point behind the little croc. Totodile turned to see the Rhydon poised over the two. Totodile nearly flipped again, but then he quickly glanced down at his fallen ally and felt a sudden burst of rage. "You… we were minding our own business and because of you…"

The Rhydon roared and pulled back its fist for another attack. "SHUT UP!" Totodile screamed, and with that scream and his open mouth, a sudden orb of brilliant azure was conjured out of thin air, and a violent surge of water burst forth from it. It enveloped the whole body of the Rhydon, and it cried out in agony before being shoved away by the force of the stream. Totodile blinked in shear shock. 'Did I just use…Hydro Pump?" he asked himself in awe. The moment was broken by continued coughing and gurgling from Charmander.

Totodile dropped down and shook him violently. "No, don't go! Don't die please! Damnit, there has to be something I can do to help!" Charmander gave no response, his ragged breaths growing fainter and his eyes beginning to close. Totodile, sobbing now, closed his eyes as well. "Please," he begged, "don't die."

Unbeknownst to Totodile with his eyes closed, he began to glow blue and radiate arcs of moisture from him. They began to spin and give off a glowing blue mist around the two little pokemon. Totodile kept muttering, "Please don't die. Please, don't die…" Rustling in the grass signified that the Rhydon was beginning to return after all. Totodile opened his eyes and viewed the miraculous spectacle of the rings of water dancing around him. He was even more awed when he noticed that Charmander's breathing was beginning to even out and the bleeding had stopped. He was still wheezing sickly, however. Totodile felt a rush of relief, but that was soon lost when he saw the Rhydon again. Totodile tried to summon up the monstrous attack he performed before, but he couldn't feel it beginning to manifest.

"Damn, so this is how it's gonna end, huh?" The Rhydon's maw opened and a glowing orange light began to bathe the surrounding meadow. "Wow," Totodile said with mock humor. "If I didn't know what overkill was before, I have a feeling I do n- wha?" Suddenly, a tall figure appeared before Totodile, covered in shadow as it eclipsed Totodile's view of the sun and the Rhydon's charged Hyper Beam. Totodile had no time to think before a blazing laser shot towards him. He screamed inaudibly above the roar of the technique, but to his surprise he felt no pain. A wall of blue surrounded the three beings, and all in the next moment Totodile saw the wall disappear, a sound akin to the unsheathing of a sword, huge chunks of rock fling through the air, and the sickening sound of punctured flesh and the pitiful cries of what must have been the Rhydon. And then, with the tall figure now picking him and Charmander up, Totodile fainted…no, really.

* * *

A young brown haired boy dressed in a blue jacket sat in the darkend lobby of the Pokecenter, fidgeting nervously. He had been there all day, waiting for some results, or a bit of news even. His parents had come to console with him, but they had left back for home now. He was 11, and _they_ believed he could handle his own responsibilities as a trainer now. Besides, it was nigh on midnight. He sat on the couch and curled up into a ball, trying to cover up with one of the complementary blankets. He couldn't leave anyway. He wouldn't allow himself to.

The sound of large doors opening and closing and the click-clack of stilettos on tile floor echoed through the lobby. A woman wearing a nursing outfit, whose hair was done up in loops and dyed pink, walked outside the reception desk and towards the boy. "Excuse me," she said approaching him, "are you Mr. Cadence Sullivan?"

The boy looked up. "Uh-huh, that's me. Is everything ok Nurse Joy?" Nurse Joy seemed anything but joyous, as she looked very solemn. She held out a hand to gesture to Cadence.

"Will you walk down the hall with me, we need to speak." Cadence looked from her hand to her face and back to the hand again before taking it and getting up. It felt really cold in the Pokemon Center, and the absence of light for the time of day didn't help this. Cadence found it justified to take the blanket with him and draped it over his shoulders like a cloak. The pair walked down the black corridors of the hospital.

"Please tell me everything is alright, Miss!" Nurse Joy retained her solemn face.

"It is my duty to inform you that the Totodile egg given to you has hatched, Cadence…" she said. Cadence's face beamed. "Really? You mean it!" Nurse Joy nodded her head.

"Quite the pokemon, really. After inspection, it is a prime subject for a beginning partner, even capable of a move that is uncommon for its species. However…" Nurse Joy stopped walking and let her head fall forward.

Cadence, who was previously happy enough to dance, looked at her confusingly. "Nurse Joy, are you alright?"

Sorrowful sobs could be heard from the nurse and little 'plip-plaps' sounded on the floor as she began to cry. "Cadence…the Totodile was dead upon the egg hatching. We don't know why…" Nurse Joy inhaled a shuddery breath and wiped tears from her eyes. "We don't know why, but it was still-born. There was nothing we could do to save it."

Cadence blinked in shock, refusing to accept the information whilst his face grew to reflect his mortified emotions. "No…no…" he mumbled under his breath.

"I'm sorry…Cadence…" Nurse Joy attempted to put a hand on his shoulder to console him, but Cadence then dropped to his knees. At first he sniffed and sobbed quietly, but this eventually progressed until he was bawling and then screaming with sorrow.

"No! It can't be!" he yelled out in blind rage and sadness "We were going to go on adventures! We were going to challenge the Champion! We were going to be best friends! Best Friends! " Nurse Joy bent down to the boy and hugged him close, tears of her own flowing freely now as she did her best to be there for him. A place, in all rights, that belonged to the Totodile.

* * *

"Hey, little Toto'. It is time to wake up now."

Totodile moaned as somebody shook him gently. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up to see the one shaking him. The hand, or more correctly stated paw, belonged to a softly grinning Lucario. "There we are now!" he said, his smile growing brighter.

"Huh…where…" Totodile looked around. He was apparently in a small alcove comprised completely of stone, yet there was a small stream of water that flowed out of the wall and into a moat that circled with the boarder of the cave and then out the entrance to the room. Totodile saw a hallway made of similar stone, and carved openings that showed a brilliant sunset over a coastal town. He rested upon a small bed of straw that was rather comfortable, if a little itchy albeit. Still, Totodile was beginning to not appreciate waking up in unfamiliar places.

"Where am I…Hhh! Charmander!" Totodile jolted up, despite feeling rather sore, and looked around wildly for the orange lizard. "He's seriously hurt! We have to help him, please, we have-"

"Shhhh…calm down, alright," the Lucario coaxed Totodile. "Everything's fine, alright? Don't worry about it."

"Bu-But there was a Rhydon! And he hit Charmander with his horn, and there was…there was…bloo-" Totodile ended his sentence to close his mouth, which prevented a small amount of bile from exiting out of his mouth. As he thought back on the spectacle, the body of Charmander after the attack was rather gruesome. Totodile guessed it was because of the adrenaline that he didn't almost puke the first time he saw it.

The Lucario patted his paw on Totodile's shoulder. "Don't worry. If you're referring to the Charmander you were with before, named Kaim, he's being taken care of by our Healer Squad. Fortunately for you, he's the only one who needed stitching up." Totodile sighed heavily with relief; though it was obvious by his facial expression that he was still worried. The prospect of stitches was not very appealing either.

'This is my entire fault,' Totodile thought to himself. 'I was a distraction. If only I wasn't in the way…'

"Don't worry, it wasn't you're fault what happened," the Lucario said.

Totodile looked up. "Did you… just read my mind?" he asked in amazement.

The Lucario shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Meh, not exactly. Your aura, however, became riddled with pockets of guilt and sadness."

"Wow, that's incredible…" Totodile complimented. "I forgot Lucario's could read aura's like that." The Lucario nodded with a smug grin.

"Well, anyway!" the Lucario started up again, bringing Totodile back into focus. "Let's return to the subject of names! As I said, that Charmander you accompanied is named Kaim. He is one of my colleagues, and in all effects I might as well be his boss. Name's Lumen, and I lead the Guiding Light Exploration Guild."

Totodile finally began to smile a little himself, oddly comfortable given a situation he knew was anything but orthodox. Lumen's smile was bright and contagiously perky. "It's very nice to meet you, sir."

Lumen laughed heartily. "Please, no need to address me so formally!" he said jovially. "Only my colleagues need to do that…oh?" Lumen looked off in another direction. Cadence followed his gaze towards a spot where nothing was at until suddenly an Abra popped out of nowhere, levitating on the spot.

"Ah! He can Teleport!" Totodile said in shock. The Abra, choosing to ignore the painstakingly obvious comment, approached Lumen in mid levitation. "Master Lumen, sir," he addressed with a curt nod, "Squad Leader Anastasia reports that the medical treatment of 3rd rank Kaim of Squad Wuji is finished."

Lumen grinned happily. "Ah, that is excellent news Tennor. I'll be paying a visit there soon with our young friend here. Thank you very much!" The Abra nodded slowly before popping back into non-existence.

"Well, why don't we head on over there now, hm?" Lumen asked Totodile, who nodded in agreement. The Lucario helped the small, blue crocodile to his feet and then continued to assist him in walking to the doorway.

"Oh yeah!" Lumen exclaimed, "I never asked for your name, how rude of me! Care to introduce to yourself?"

The Totodile was set to give his answer when he remembered that he had forgotten it, ironically enough. "Sorry, but to be honest I don't remem-"

'No…there is a name I remember,' Totodile thought suddenly. 'At least, I think it's a name. Is it a name? Is it… my name?' Lumen was beginning to read the croc's aura again and sensed great annoyance in a mist of confusion and loss.

"Is everything alright?" he queried the Totodile.

"Yeah…sorry bout that!" came Totodile's now energetic reply. "My name…is Cadence, or… Cade for short.

* * *

**_A/N :_ **Well that's the end of that chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it, and you'll continue to read the comic! Please, if you could take a moment to review and comment on something I would greatly appreciate it! :D


	2. Chapter 2: Wounds Heal, Bonds Grow

Hello everyone! Gosh I realized how popular PKMN fanfics are these days what with Black and White out now. Looked at the list once my first chapter was put up and within about 5 minutes it was number 60! O.o

Anyway, I give to the next installment of Wuji and the Five Phases. Just a little FYI, I listened to the music on the youtube link below while writing a lot of this chapter. I find that the first part is really enhanced by it, and it's candy to the ears of any fan of piano, Kingdom Hearts, or both!

.com/watch?v=CrWkTiT8JA4&feature=related

Here's to happy reading…and reviewing!

~Keyon

Disclaimer: Pokemon does not belong to me…sadly…But Game Freak has always done a wonderful job with their creations and Nintendo maintains it well…

The twilight of the setting sun shined into the infirmary section of Guiding Light's headquarters through the stone windows, dying the already red rock walls with a hue of amber orange. The ocean breeze that blew in carried a faint tinge of salt, just enough for anyone to recognize where it had come from. The infirmary was, most fortunately, quite empty with only one exception. One cot full of flame retardant fabrics carried the still form of Kaim the Charmander, his forehead wrapped in a bandage and his body covered with a white blanket minus of course his flaming tail. He was breathing steadily and seemed entirely at peace. When the cold breeze blew into the room, he shivered and attempted to curl up for warmth, yet his body reflexively stopped itself from moving too much.

Soft footsteps accompanied by a flowing figure entered the room. A beautiful and elegant Gardevoir approached the cot where Kaim was sleeping. Ever so gently, she kneeled down to the sleeping lizard and laid her hand upon his head, careful not to apply too much pressure to the area covered by the bandage. Kaim cringed at the touch and opened his eyes slowly, looking up into the endearing face of the Gardevoir. "Uggghhh…" Kaim moaned in pain. "L-Lady Anastasia…?"

The Gardevoir beamed brighter. "Oh, Kaim. Thank goodness you're alright; you were a bloody mess when Lumen brought you in here!" Anastasia would have hugged the little Charmander tightly if she didn't know that Kaim's body was still very broken. Still, it was better than it was before. She and her squad had healed most of the damage done.

Kaim showed hints of confusion. "What…what happened?" he asked forgetfully. His eyes suddenly flashed with a look of understanding and he closed them immediately. Gardevoir, among many other species of Pokemon, could sense emotions in living things. Anastasia could sense nothing but fear from Kaim.

"Oh, it's alright. Everything's fine, we healed you right up!" she explained with a forced sense of joy. "A Heal Pulse here, some Recover there, little Aromatherapy and a Healing Wish to tie it all-"

"YOU NEEDED TO USE A HEALING WISH ON ME!" Kaim asked with a loud voice. He coughed suddenly and hugged his chest as it exploded with pain. "Careful Kaim, don't exert yourself so much!" Anastasia warned him. "We did our best to heal you, but you're still a little beaten up. Healing Wish is powerful as you know but it isn't some instant cure all." Kaim cleared his throat and took deep breaths. He calmed down some, but he was still worked up being he knew how much raw energy a technique like that took out of a Pokemon.

"Yeah…ok…" he acknowledged weakly. And then Kaim remembered the weird Totodile he met in the dungeon. "Hey, Master Lumen didn't bring back a Totodile with him too by any chance did he?" he asked the Gardevoir.

She nodded. "Yeah, he was knocked out like you," she answered. "Course he wasn't ripped up like you were, but he was out cold. We checked on him briefly and then put all our efforts into healing you." Kaim sighed with relief knowing the other Pokemon threatened by the Rhydon was alright. Anastasia admired the care the Charmander had for others, even those he hardly knew. Kaim was a little timid and not yet very strong, but bravery and compassion flooded from his heart when the need for it arose. Anastasia simply smiled, happy the little one was ok.

"Charma- I mean Kaim!" came an ecstatic voice. Kaim and Anastasia turned to see an energetic little Totodile running full speed towards them and a much more at ease Lucario following him.

"Guess it wouldn't have done much to knock, hm?" Lumen asked Anastasia, who merely smiled in response. Cade was bouncing up and down with joy. To be honest, it was the most like a Totodile he had acted so far.

"Oh thank God you're alive! You're alive!" Cade exclaimed with much excitement. Kaim smiled happily and began to get out of his bed when the flash of pain came back to him in full. He gritted his teeth and held tight to his chest again as Cade stopped his bouncing and began frantically trying to see what was wrong.

"Alright! Enough racket, please!" Anastasia yelled out. "Kaim can't exactly do so much at the moment because he still needs to recuperate from his wounds." Cade settled down and looked from the Gardevoir to Kaim with a worried look.

"You're gonna be alright, aren'tcha Kaim?" he asked. Kaim breathed deeply before replying, "Yeah, I'll be fine, I think…"

"Sure you'll be fine, Kaim. You'll be in tip-top shape in no time!" Lumen piped up. "I mean after being out for a couple of days before waking up you've gotta have a good chance of living, right?" Kaim and Cade both took a moment before they realized Lumen had mentioned 'a couple of days.'

"Wait," Kaim started, "just how long have I been out for Anastasia?"

Cade nodded in affirmation. "I'd like to ask the same question."

Lumen and Anastasia looked at eachother worriedly before the Lucario replied in her stead. "Well, you've both been out for nearly two days now. It's a good thing you were both breathing, or we would have declared you dead, hahaha!"

'For some reason, I don't find that very funny…' Cade thought to himself as he glared at the Lucario. Anastasia, feeling the tension, spoke out.

"Well, Kaim. I actually need to change your bandages, so why don't you say good-bye to Lumen and…er…what was your name again?" she asked gesturing to the Totodile.

Kaim perked up at this. "Yeah, apparently you know my name now and I don't know yours. What gives? Don't tell me you still don't remember it?"

"Heh, sorry. The setting we met in just didn't really allow for proper introductions did it?" Cade extended his little arm out to the Charmander. "My name is Cadence, or Cade for short…I think…?" Kaim accepted the gesture and shook hands…claws... gingerly, ignoring the uncertainty in the Totodile's response.

Lumen was not so ignorant. "Wait…you think? What's that suppose-"

"Hey er…Anastasia was it! Can I stay here with you two while you're helping Kaim out?" he asked the nurse in a sudden burst of anxiety and with an embarrassed look upon his face. He did his best to avoid looking at the Lucario's lance-like gaze. He didn't really feel like he wanted to reveal the truth that he was human to anyone else besides Kaim quite yet.

Anastasia mulled it over in her head some. "I suppose…I mean you have to remember that this is gruesome work. It isn't pretty." She did her best to stress this. However, Cade nodded.

"I feel…I feel as if I should be around for this. It was kinda my fault that Kaim got attacked to begin with; I distracted him…" Cade explained solemnly. His face grew much more determined after that. "So, I would like to be here for Kaim since I let him down and owe him for protecting me." Kaim perked up just a little. "Cade, no, it wasn't your fault! I-I just wasn't paying enough attention so I…"

"There, there, don't get worked up again." Anastasia said as she smiled. She always appreciated how every once and a while a gem of a youth would appear before her eyes. The guild, let alone the world, needed more Pokemon like them. "Well, if it's alright with Kaim, I see no reason why not. Is it alright with you Kaim?" she asked her patient.

The Charmander was hardly focused on her at all, instead gazing with sincere and grateful eyes towards a smiling Cade. He was on the verge of crying. "Yeah…there's no problem."

"In that case, I would like to stay as well." Lumen proclaimed. "Besides, I can't leave Cadence here until a valid escort can take my place or until he leaves of his own free will for home."Cadence was happy the Lucario stopped there and didn't burrow further into his origins.

"Ok, I'm going to start with the procedure Kaim," Anastasia told the Charmander. "Would you rather me put you to sleep so you do-"

"No, it's fine. I need to see what happened anyway." Kaim said with commendable bravery. Anastasia nodded.

"So be it," she finished. Anastasia closed her eyes before opening them again. They were now glowing bright blue. As this occurred, the wrappings around Kaim's chest glowed the same blue and began to unravel. Cadence watched in amazement before Anastasia queried, "So tell me. Kaim here got beaten by a rampaging Rhydon, so it's no wonder why he was out for more than a day. You, on the other hand, suffered from nothing more than shock probably. Care to explain why you were out for as long as he was?" She seemed to remain completely focused at the task at hand while she asked this; then again it was harder for Cade to read her expression when her eyes were orbs of light.

Cade was about to answer too, or give the closest thing to an answer he could give, except for at the last second he managed to glimpse the damage done to the Charmander once the last of the bandages had been lifted. He inhaled sharply at the spectacle. Kaim's reaction was slightly more disturbed.

"Ah..ahhhh! Wha…Nnng!" he couldn't seem to finish his sentence since the wound on his chest was so morbid. Granted, it was probably ten times worse when it hadn't been tended too, but this was pretty sick.

The wound was shaped oddly as it had a sort of spiral like attribute. The attack had caused several rips as it seemed his skin had not only been punctured but stretched and ripped in several areas. Now, the wound had been cleaned and pink flesh traced along his chest like a spiral star. Stitches crossed the wound every which way.

"As you may have been able to already tell Lumen…that was no ordinary Horn Attack," Anastasia mentioned to the guild master. "Fortunately, the Rhydon wasn't very accurate with his technique. It impaled Kaim at a side angle and thus it didn't puncture deep enough to have a lasting effect on any vital organs after intensive healing." Lumen nodded, his face serious and his attention focused on the Charmander.

"It was a Horn Drill…Kaim, you're lucky to be alive…" Lumen mentioned. Kaim didn't respond, his eyes still bulging with absolute horror at the wound and his mouth agape and yearning to cry out. But his voice was not there. He could not find it while he looked at the wound.

Both Lumen and Anastasia were having a hard time from not freaking out themselves because the Charmander's aura and emotions were so intense it was beginning to affect them if they did not focus intently on something else. Fortunately, Kaim was brought out of his trance by Cade, who tugged on his hand and smiled as best he could. Cade was true to his word. He wanted to support him through the procedure, not sit and gawk. Kaim did his best to return the smile, now attempting to look at Cade and not the wound.

"Cade, you never answered my question," Anastasia reminded the little croc.

"Huh?" he squeaked in response. "Oh, right. Ummm…I can't say I really know…actually…sorry." Any hint of optimism in the Totodile had now left him. "I don't really remember much to tell the truth."

'And ain't it the truth…' he thought to himself.

"Perhaps it had something to do with you using Aqua Ring, Cadence." Lumen suggested.

Anastasia was interested in this. "What? That's odd, a Totodile with Aqua Ring?" she asked Lumen. As she thought about it, it would fit the missing piece of the puzzle as to why the wound seemed like it had been briefly if not perfectly treated previous to her inspection.

At that moment, something clinked inside Cadence's head, like he had just tapped something familiar or important. But other than that reaction to the words, nothing more seemed to come forth. Deciding to delve deeper into this, he spoke up and asked, "What's Aqua Ring?"

"Ummm…it's the water type move that establishes a form of aquatic energy field that, though slowly, periodically heals any inside its radius," Anastasia replied. "And might I say that it is very… odd for a Pokemon to not know what one of their moves did."

"Very odd indeed…" Lumen reinforced. Cadence could feel the flaming spear that was Lumen's stare digging into his back like molten metal. The Totodile was going to make an excuse up on the spot except Kaim caught everyone's attention when he began to speak.

"Oh…he hasn't told you yet?" Kaim asked the nurse and master of the guild with a meek voice. The little Totodile began to make every subtle gesture imaginable implying 'shut up' once he realized what the Charmander was going to say. "Cade isn't really a pokemon, he's a human…Ahgck!"

"Ah! Sorry Kaim, sorry! I didn't mean to!" Gardevoir was so shocked by this that she had applied too much psychic force into tightening the new bandages. Red was beginning to stain them as it appears she had accidentally opened up the wounds. "AAAAGGHHH! It hurts! It hurts a lot!" Kaim screamed in agony.

Anastasia wasted no time. She had been developing this idea as soon as she had heard what Cadence was capable of. "Cade, put up an Aqua Ring now!" Cadence was caught off guard.

"Wha…?" he asked clueless and shocked out of his wits by the blood beginning to flow from the wound again. When he saw that and after Anastasia's continued insistence that he "put up Aqua Ring, now!" he began trying to use the healing technique. Closing his eyes and letting the power well up, he began to glow blue and give off the flowing arcs of water as they circled around him, the Gardevoir, and the cot containing Kaim. Interestingly, he found that he could access the power with much less difficulty than he expected.

Anastasia looked to Lumen. "Sir, if you wou-"

"Already on it," Lumen replied hastily as he stepped inside the radius of water. Closing his eyes, the bulbs that hung from his head rattled and lifted up as Lumen placed his paw over the spike on his chest. With a bright pinkish flash, of all colors, Lumen placed his glowing paw into the ring of water, turning it a similar pinkish hue. Anastasia looked at the wound on Kaim, now glowing and no longer bleeding as it began to heal and an astonishingly rapid pace.

'Unbelievable!' Anastasia thought as she watched the phenomenon. 'I know that with Lumen using Heal Pulse the Aqua Ring would receive a boost, but nothing like this. Then that would mean…' for a moment Anastasia looked down at the little Totodile, his eye's shut tightly in concentration. His emotions contained nothing but faith in the possibility that Kaim would be alright. 'Then that would mean the majority of this power is emanating from that little guy!' Changing her plan only slightly, she activated Psychic and began removing the stitches one by one from Kaim as the wound began to fill with scar tissue. She noted that this might have been slightly painful, but the healing effects seemed to be numbing the little Charmander as well. Still, his eyes were shut tight with panic from what was happening to him.

As the last stitch was removed, Anastasia told Cadence to release the technique. The ring stopped glowing and water fell to the ground, as did the one who summoned it. Cade collapsed on the floor face first as he felt lots his energy leaving him. Still, he had energy enough to proclaim "Ow…" Lumen snapped his fingers and a glimmer of pink light floated down and touched Cade. The Lucario then helped the Totodile to his feet.

"I have to say that for a predominantly aggressive genus of Pokemon you're definitely quite the healer Cadence," Lumen told Cade as he viewed the now healed wound on Kaim. A scar shaped like a jagged spiral star was all that hinted at the wound ever existing in the first place. Kaim was still quaking with fear.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, is it over?" he asked feebly. Taking a glance for himself, he sighed heavily with relief at the sight. "Thank you so much Lady Anastasia! I thought I was done for…again…"

The Gardevoir smiled. "Don't thank me, Lumen and Cade did the healing this time. ESPECIALLY…Cade." She made sure that the emphasis in her voice was clear as she looked towards the now overly unnerved Totodile. Kaim smiled brightly.

"Heh…you really are somethin' Cade!" he complimented.

Cadence giggled. "Ehehe…it was nothing, really…" he scoffed off the compliment. Then Lumen coughed in order to grab the attention of the two young Poke's.

"Now that we've avoided yet another potentially lethal crisis, let's move onto the subject of Cade's origins."

"Dangit…" Cadence muttered.

"The obviously touchy subject," Lumen added in response. "So, Kaim says you told him you're human? I wouldn't think you're lying for attention. You don't seem like the sort, plus your aura is completely confident beyond a hint of desperation from… oh, shall we say losing your 'low profile'? I would have been able to tell otherwise. Tell me then…" he gestured to Cade's form as if it were an anomaly of sorts. "How did this come to be?"

Cade's face grew heavy with a sorrowful look as he glanced downwards. "I…don't remember anything," answered the croc. "I…just woke up in that field of grass. All I knew was that I didn't remember getting there and that I wasn't supposed to be a foot tall and blue. After that, Kaim found me and we got attacked."

"Hmmmm…" Lumen grumbled under his breath. "Nope, definitely not lying. But that really doesn't answer any of our questions and doesn't change the fact that it sounds absolutely crazy. Ah well, just something you'll have to dwell on I s'pose."

Cade didn't feel all too confident with the suggestion. He didn't really know if it was possible to mull over a case of amnesia to begin with.

The Lucario looked out the stone windows. The sun had set completely now, and if it wasn't for the light exuding from Kaim's tail flame, the room would have been almost pitch black.

"Well kids, m'lady," Lumen addressed the group, "methinks it's time to hit the hay and I believe Kaim needs all the rest he can get anyways. Cadence, whether you are truly a Pokemon or not you are more than welcome to stay in my guild home for the time being. If you'll follow me, I can lead you back to the guest room."

Cadence looked over at Kaim, who was inspecting the scar on his chest. He seemed to not know what to think about the permanent mark on his body. "Actually, Mr. Lumen," Cade started, "would it be alright if I slept in the infirmary with Kaim?"

Lumen blinked curiously. "Uhhh…sure, I guess. 'Course Anastasia is the one you should be asking; she runs the infirmary. Not me."

"It's fine with me," she spoke up. "So long as you let Kaim rest, I can prepare one of the cots for you Cade. I also have to put drapes over the windows as well now that I think about it."

"Alright! Thanks Lady Anastasia!" Cade thanked ecstatically. The Gardevoir smiled gently and stood up to get started with the tasks at hand. Lumen knelt down and extended his paw to Cadence.

"It was very nice to meet you, Cade, and thank you for saving my colleague. His life is safe thanks to you," he said with a smile.

Cadence took the paw and shook, but he didn't share the same attitude. "I can't really agree with you. It was my fault that Kaim was injured…"

Kaim heard the little Totodile say this and wished he could do something to make the Totodile feel better. Even if it had been Cade's fault, it was Kaim's decision to rescue him in the first place from any danger.

"When I became a member of a rescue and exploration squad," Kaim said out loud, "I promised myself that I would grow to not be afraid and that I couldn't blame somebody for what happened to me on missions. Of course, it's easy to accept blame for your own actions. My real problem is being afraid all the time."

Cade showed little signs of a change of heart. Lumen, however, had adopted a thinker's pose. "I have an idea," Lumen proposed. "Would anyone like to hear it?"

Cade and Kaim both nodded their heads in approval. "Well," Lumen started, "Kaim, your goal is to grow in body, mind and soul. As such, you joined an exploration guild in order to seek out and acquire this goal." Lumen then turned to Cade. "Cade here has just woken up and claims he was once human and remembers nothing else. I'd say that you're goal right now is to find out who you were and why you're a Totodile, correct?"

"Mmmm…I guess…" Cade agreed half-heartedly. "That's about the only thing I have going for me."

"Well, in that case, you're goals are quite similar," Lumen concluded. "Ergo, maybe you should join my guild Cadence. Guiding Light is always looking for new members, and as an explorer and or rescuer you get to travel and experience plenty of new and exciting things. Plus, you get paid by your clients and receive room and board from the HQ."

Cade and Kaim both looked at Lumen with really happy faces, mostly Cade.

"You mean it Mr. Lumen!" the Totodile asked in excitement.

"Sure…and besides…" Lumen adopted a proud stance and pointed to Kaim dramatically. "My colleague successfully rescued somebody in dire trouble, and as such, deserves pay for his valiant services!"

'But you were the one who saved us both Master Lumen…' Kaim thought to himself. 'And on top of that Cade was never a registered client so we can't legally charge him…'

"I know what you're thinking Kaim. Don't speak." Lumen said in a serious, draconian tone. Kaim shivered in inexplicable fright.

"Ye-Yes Master Lumen, sir…!" Kaim squeaked in response.

"Anyway, I have decided. As of this moment, I am drafting you, Cadence the Totodile…human…thing… into my guild as means of repaying your debt to my colleague and will remain in service until the debt is repaid! As such, tomorrow you will rise with our guild herald's alarm for training and debriefing! Do you understand, Mr. Cadence?"

Cade was kind of awed by how drastic the Lucario's change of personality was. He was quite the character, but Cade admired that. He was a funny and cool kind of guy.

"I gave you an assignment, Cadence. Do you comply?" Lumen asked impatiently.

Cade snapped back to reality. "Yeah! Ok Lumen!" he affirmed with a smile.

"THAT'S MASTER LUMEN! OR LUMEN, SIR! OR MASTER LUMEN, SIR!" the Lucario roared at the Totodile. Cadence freaked out and cringed back some.

"B-But I thought you didn't want me to refer to you formal-"

"You are a member of Guiding Light now!" Lumen exclaimed. "As such, I am your leader and deserve to be treated with respect properly due to me! Understood?"

"Yes Master Lumen…I mean, Yes Lumen, sir…I mean yes Master Lumen, sir!"

"Good!" the Lucario acknowledged, returning to his previous demeanor. "I'll be seeing you at the top of the lighthouse tomorrow morning, so don't be late…"

"UNDERSTAND…?"

Cade nodded his head as rapidly as he could, even though he had no idea what lighthouse Lumen was talking about. But he feared to figure out what would happen if he answered any differently.

"Kaim, if you feel like you can walk tomorrow morning and Lady Anastasia decides you're fit to, you are to escort Cade, ok?"

"You kidding?" Kaim asked with a bold look. "I could run a mile right now, I feel great sir!" Kaim again attempted this time to get out of the cot. He might have actually done so, but this time a yell from another room that sounded like Anastasia stressed "Stay in the bed!" Kaim merely retreated back under the covers.

Eventually, Anastasia returned with a bale of straw, left again, and came back with a pillow, sheet, and blankets and prepared a second cot. She then used Psychic to apply some cloth drapes to the windows, blocking out some of the cool night's sea breeze. "Alright, all set. Time for bed then!" she said, eager to get some sleep of her own.

Kaim yawned loudly before saying, "Thank you for everything, m'lady!"

Anastasia curtsied with her gown. "It is only my job as head doctor. And as I said before, two days we worked on you but the one who helped you the most was Cadence."

Cade, who had climbed into his cot by now, laughed. "Really, I don't even know how I'm doing it," he exclaimed.

"Well, it's obvious you don't know how to use Aqua Ring properly," Lumen told him, "as you exerted practically all the energy you had both times you've used it. Maybe I can find someone to help you with that."

"Later, but right now, I need to lie down and…" Cade paused for a moment, "reflect on all this."

Lumen smiled. "I completely understand, and I hope you both get some well deserved rest." The Lucario stood up and he and the Gardevoir waved goodbye to the two little pokemon, who returned the waves with those of their own.

As the two high ranking officers left the infirmary, they began walking down the dark hall. Lumen had formed an Aura Sphere and it provided a bright glow to light their path. Gardevoir started talking quietly.

"So, you plan on milking that poor Totodile for all he's worth then, huh?" she asked with obvious angst in her voice.

"Oh please," Lumen responded, "Not like anything'll happen. And besides, it's giving the little tyke an opportunity to search for some answers a-OWWW! Nurses are supposed to heal, not hurt!" The Lucario rubbed his now very sore head where the Gardevoir had just hand-chopped him violently.

"I can't believe you'd act so nonchalantly about all that, especially after what happened to Kaim!" she exclaimed in anger. "And on top of that, there's this whole thing about Cadence being human! What's that supposed to mean! Libranum hasn't seen humans in… pssh! Arceus alone knows how long its been."

Lumen merely shrugged his shoulders. "I was kinda getting to that. We can't do much right now and neither of us knows what on earth it means. So let's just let it flow; see what happens. Maybe the kid will find something, maybe not. And all the meanwhile, I make a good ally and employee! Everyone wins, eh?"

Anastasia merely glared at Lumen before replying, "I'm so telling Eureka about this when she gets back…"

Lumen gasped. "HHH! Traitor, you wouldn't!" he accused her, hoping that it was a bluff.

"Already on my to-do list. And what a respectful way to speak about your own mate, you mangy pile of crap!"

"Hey, that is no way to address you're guild master!"

_WHACK!_

"Owwww! My head! Dangit Anastasia!"

The soft sound of waves crashing against the sand and monoliths of the beach echoed from the distance through the draped windows of the infirmary. It was soothing, but Cadence was hardly paying it any heed. His mind was racing through what little memories he had. Course they could hardly be called memories. There were his experiences of today, two days ago, and then the memory of being human.

And then the piece of the dream he had. He couldn't remember all of it, just the name that came from it.

Cadence…

"Cade, are you awake?" came the hushed voice of Kaim.

"Yes. You ok, something you need?" Cade turned over towards the Charmander's cot to find Kaim sitting up in bed and looking over at him, any visibility due only to the lizard's tail.

"No not really," Kaim replied. "I…just wanted to thank you for helping me so much."

Cade grew very disappointed. "Hmph…" the Totodile grumbled. "Don't mention it. I should be thanking you and apologizing for getting in your way."

Kaim did his best to smile even with the Totodile being so sad. "You really shouldn't beat yourself up. It doesn't really matter whose fault it was that I got hurt, but I'm all better now thanks to you! And that's what matters!"

Cade smiled as tears began to well up in his eyes from the Charmander's sincerity. "Thanks Kaim, you've been really nice to me ever since we met. I hope I can pay you back for it…" Cadence sniffled a little and tried rubbing the potential tears from his eyes.

Kaim did his best to prevent himself from crying. He was sort of an empath like that; he was susceptible to heavy emotions like it was the common cold. "Hey, it's what friends are for, right? And we're exploration partners as of now, so we have to look out for each other anyway," he noted. "It's part of the job!"

Cade breathed in sharply. "F-Friends?" he asked unsuredly. "You wanna be my friend?"

Kaim blinked in surprise. "Well, yeah!" the Charmander exclaimed ecstatically. "You've been nice to me too, ya' know? Truth be told, I don't get a lot of attention. I'm sorta the bottom rung of the guild ladder if you catch my drift."

"But, you've only known me for two days…most of which we've spent asleep!"

Kaim shrugged and continued smiling brightly. "So? From what I know about you, you seem to be a nice and honest Totodile…I mean, person!"

Cade giggled softly at that. "Don't worry about correcting yourself like that. Until I find some hint as to my origins, I might as well be a perfectly normal Totodile. But Kaim," the Totodile breathed in softly.

"I would be happy to be friends with you."

"Really, oh thank you, thank you so much!" the Charmander exclaimed with overflowing joy as if he had just accepted some phenomenal award. You would think he'd never had a friend in the world. It was even more to Cade's surprise when Kaim busted out of his cot and 'glomped' him in a surprise tackle hug.

"Thank you so much!" Kaim yelled again happily while hugging Cade tightly.

"Yeah, sure, no problem!" he squeaked in between gasps of precious oxygen. "But you might wanna get back in your bed and rest. And quit suffocating me before your new friend dies…please…"

Kaim blinked confusedly before realizing his tight grip around the Totodile's throat. "Oh, whoops! Ehehe…sorry about that," he apologized nervously, laughing to try and ease the situation. Cade on the other hand was rubbing his poor neck and breathing deeply.

"Well," Kaim exclaimed brightly as he climbed back into bed, "tomorrow is your first day of training…and my second!"

"You mean to tell me you're only one day my senior in rank!" Cade asked surprised.

Kaim scratched his head nervously, "Yeah, kinda sorta. Technically, you joined three days after me given the two we spent asleep." Cade was staring aghast at the Charmander. "Oh boy, this is gonna be fun… Good night, Cadence!"

"Seeya' in the morning, Kaim."

The two little pokemon drifted off into silence with the exception of their gentle breathing. Just as silent to the world were the phenomenal dreams that they were having, both unique and equally important to both of them individually. However, as the slept, they were unaware of the stout shadowy figure that had climbed in through one window without a drape. It sat on the windowsill, watching them…


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting at the Lighthouse

"_Hey, there you are! Good to see you're still hanging in there!"_

"Hey…that voice…you!"

"_Well, for lack of a better title, 'you' will do just fine I imagine."_

"Quiet! I have WAAAAAY to many questions for you. Starting with who the heck are you?"

"_I told you that 'you' would do just fine."_

"Wait…what? That I would do just fine? What's that mean?"

"_No, I was try…uggghhh! You are really dull headed, you know that. If I had known that, I might have had second opinions on my future when I was younger."_

"…What are you talking about?"

"_So, how are you holding up so far as a Totodile?"_

"Avoiding questions…still…I should've figured you'd know about that too. It's ok, I guess…"

"_You don't sound too positive. Something happen?"_

"Yeah, I nearly caused somebody to get killed. If it wasn't for Master Lumen, we would have both been dead…and I blame myself for that."

"_Well, whether or not it was your fault, didn't you heal Kaim in the end?"_

"Yes, I did, you're right. But sti- wait, how did you know about Kaim?"

"_Same reason I knew you became a Totodile, Cade."_

"Who are you, God? No, now that I'm a Totodile I should be saying Arceus or Mew, shouldn't I?"

"_Hahaha, funny! Nowhere near to being close to any three of 'em, sorry."_

"Hmmm…Well, can I assume that you're my friend at the very least?"

"_Yes, most definitely."_

"Well then why won't you answer any of the questions I'm asking?"

"_Well, I can answer that. Twice, actually. First, it isn't that I'm not telling you. Just not yet, that's all. The second is that I probably couldn't answer them really easily or that well to begin with."_

"You're not a very impressive all-knowing being, y'know?"

"_And so far, minus your luck, I'd say you're not the best Totodile."_

"…Touch_é."_

"_But I will permit you to know who I am in relation to you."_

"Oooook…? Shoot."

"_I am you, and you are me. Yet we are both ourselves individually, and yet we are each other. Ultimately, we are none of the previously mentioned."_

"Congratulations, you've successfully confused me even more."

"_Sorry, it's not like I didn't tell you so, but it's the best I can do . Try mulling over it a bit, you might get it."_

"I doubt that highly."

"_Well, looks like it's time to get up, huh?"_

"Already? Ugh…it seems kind of early…"

"_I'm sure you'll be fine, just you wait. I'll be hearing back from you soon enough!"_

"M'kay. Seeya' then Mr. Conscience voice."

"…_Wow…Wonderful name…"_

* * *

"Mr. Cadence, it's morning. Rise and shine please."

Cade's eyes fluttered open to reveal a slightly lit infirmary room and an Abra levitating in place beside his bed looking down at him. Well, doing his best to look at him; his eyes were still closed.

"Mmmm…What time is it…?" Cade asked groggily, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and propping himself up in his bed.

"It is approximately 47.6 seconds after the first light of dawn," the Abra answered unemotionally.

"…Right then," the Totodile affirmed. "Who are you, again?"

The Abra smiled faintly, but his eyes remained tightly shut. "My name is Tennor. I serve as Master Lumen's messenger as well as secretary, and herald of Guiding Light."

'Wow…Pokemon sure are a lot more organized than I imagined them to be,' Cade thought impressed. He then quickly changed his thoughts as he realized they weren't the most secret to a psychic type, even one as young as an Abra.

"So I guess this must be my wake-up call to go see Master Lumen, huh?" Cade then looked over to see Kaim sleeping peacefully in his own cot.

Well, maybe contently would be a better description. The loud snores and frothy saliva falling from his mouth didn't exactly register in Cade's mind as peaceful.

"Does…Kaim always sleep like this?" he asked the herald. Tennor merely nodded his head sadly.

"He hasn't been here long, but already most of our guild blames their lack of sleep on his incessant snoring," the Abra explained. "The sad thing is that he doesn't even sleep in the guild HQ, and people still claim to hear him snore in the night."

Cade giggled. "Ha! Well, I slept alright, so I don't know if I can vouch for them or not."

At this moment, the graceful figure of Anastasia walked into the infirmary. "Well, I can tell that Kaim got a healthy amount of sleep tonight," she mentioned begrudgingly upon her entrance.

"M'lady Anastasia, I am here to awaken Mr. Cadence and check on the progress of Kaim. And, by the way, it is very nice to see you."

The Gardevoir curtsied. "It is nice to see you this morning as well, Tennor. Kaim is doing just fine I believe. I'm actually going to wake him up now so I can check-up on him."

She approached the Kaim's cot and knelt down. She shook him gently. "Hey Kaim, it's morning. Time to wake up," she whispered.

Kaim continued to snore.

Anastasia sighed as she stood back up. She cleared her throat. "…WAKE-UP SLAP!"

With a devastating smack to the Charmander's right cheek, Kaim cried out in pain. "OWWWOWOWOWOWOW! I'm awake, I'm awake! Where's the battle?"

Cadence bust up into hysterical laughter and fell out of his cot as Tennor merely groaned in dissatisfaction and let his head fall forward (cue comical sweat drop). Anastasia smiled and pretended that it wasn't her doing that awoke the Charmander.

Kaim looked down at the floor to see Cade rolling around laughing with tears in his eyes. "What's his gag?" he asked, completely oblivious.

Anastasia ignored the question. "How are you feeling this morning, Kaim? Does your chest hurt at all?"

Kaim sat up in his bed. "Hmmm…" he muttered. "Nope, not really. My head's a little sore, but other than that I'm alright."

Cade again had a small fit of the giggles under his breath as he stood back up.

Anastasia nodded affirmatively. "Well, I think that that's ok so long as your chest is fine. Can you get out of bed so I can take a look at it?"

Kaim nodded before throwing the covers forward and hopping out of the cot. The Gardevoir kneeled down to get an easier look at the spiral scar. Cade and Tennor approached to get a look too.

"Well, I'm impressed!" Tennor said. "I had heard that Kaim's wound had been gravely serious. So either the rumors are nothing more than exaggeration or your healing skills are beyond magnificent Lady Anastasia. Still…" Tennor leaned forward and stared at Kaim's scar with shut eyes. "It certainly left a mark."

Kaim actually grinned at this, proud of his battle scar.

"Actually, it is mostly due to the Totodile standing next to you that Kaim is back up on his feet already," Anastasia explained. Tennor turned to look at a nervous Totodile.

"Hmm? I don't quite understand I'm afraid," he said.

"Apparently, I can use Aqua Ring. It's supposed to be an oddity, right?" Cade mentioned.

Tennor was surprised enough to open his eyes, if but slightly. "Aqua Ring! That's…phenomenal. How on earth did you manage to acquire that technique? Given who you are, I mean."

Cade was now sweating nervously in an attempt to come up with an answer that wouldn't reveal he was human or struck with amnesia. He still didn't feel like telling many people about that yet, but he didn't really have a valid explanation as to why he could use the technique. He just didn't know.

"Umm…well, you see…ah...hmmm…"

"Cade's Aqua Ring is just an anomaly I believe," Anastasia claimed. "It's possibly a birth defect of some sorts due to drug abuse from the parents or unnatural cellular mutation while still in an egg."

'Wh-Wh-WHAT! What kind of sad excuse is that! And what kind of drugs do Pokemon even have anyway!' Cade thought in utter shock. His right eye began to twitch involuntarily again.

Tennor wore a slightly disturbed face. "Aha…I see," he muttered staring oddly at Cade now. "Anyway, my work here is done. I will report back to Master Lumen on Kaim's condition. Cade, he will be waiting for you to see him in his quarters at the top of the lighthouse. Have a nice day everyone!" The Abra teleported on the spot before anyone batted an eye.

"Ah! Dangit, I should've asked him where the lighthouse is!" Cade exclaimed in aggravation.

Kaim perked up at this. "Ah! Lady Anastasia, I'm feeling a lot better now!" Kaim claimed excitedly. "Can I take Cade up to see Master Lumen if it's ok?"

Anastasia blinked. "Well, I guess…you have to remember you're still real-"

"Oh come on, please!" he begged her. "I mean, with you, Master Lumen, and Cade all having worked on me how can I not be alright?"

Anastasia sighed before chuckling. "He…you're so like your father, you know that? Alright, I'll let you go. But I'm warning you, you should try not to exert yourself so much."

Kaim nodded happily and with a smile. "Uh-huh, ok! I'll make sure to!" Kaim then saluted to the Gardevoir. "Thank you very much for your assistance, Lady Anastasia!"

"Ooohh, you are more than welcome, Kaim. Stay safe, ok?" she replied. Anastasia turned to Cade. "Cadence, it was wonderful meeting and working with you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help with Kaim and I hope that you find yourself content while working for our guild." After she said this, she curtsied yet again.

Cadence blushed and scratched his head nervously. "Ehehehe…you're welcome, I guess," he mumbled. "But I should be saluting you shouldn't I? You're my superior as of now too, right?"

Kaim interrupted while running to the door of the infirmary. "C'mon Cade, we have to go see Master Lumen!" he told the Totodile in excitement. Anastasia was a little peeved that he was already being way to energetic given his condition, but the Charmander didn't seem to show any signs of pain or exasperation at all. She then blinked as she noticed something.

"Ah, Kaim! Come back here for a second, I forgot to remove the bandage from your forehead!"

Kaim glanced up to try and see the wrapped cloth while Cade was walking to the door. The Charmander shrugged. "Eh, it's ok! Kinda cool actually! I'll seeya' later!" Kaim dashed out the door yelling, "C'mon Cadence!" Before Cade left, he turned around and shrugged at Anastasia before waving goodbye.

Anastasia sighed with a hint of stress before smiling. "This is going to be interesting," she said.

* * *

Cade followed a beaming Kaim down the cavernous hallway. It was slightly dark, but with Kaim's tail and the rising sun shining through the carved windows, it was becoming slightly easier to see. Cade had to admire the view that he had of the sunrise. It was rising over some large rocky mountains with some smaller hills at the base. They were covered with many trees of different varieties, some deciduous and others evergreen. From what looked like a mile away from those hills was the makings of a little village. The village had an opening to the beach on one side while the other was blocked by a large cliff that seemed to grow upwards the farther it came from the mainland. It stretched out into the water and curved slightly as if it was turning right to go back to land, but it appeared to have crumbled midway. Cade realized that this was where he was now; inside the sea cliff. He had unconsciously stopped to admire the view.

"Hey, are you gonna stand there gawking all day or are you going to actually follow me?" Kaim asked impatiently.

"Where is that? Down there," Cade asked pointing towards the town and ignoring Kaim's question.

"Oh that? That's Crescent Town," Kaim explained. "It's named after the shape of the sea-cliff we're in now. It's very lively actually, and a lot of the guild members live there. Those who don't tend to stay in the guild's dorm rooms, but there aren't many who do."

"Neat! Can we visit it later?"

"Maybe, but that's not what we're doing right now! C'mon, or Lumen will be upset that we took so long!"

The two pokemon continued down the corridors. Every now and then, they'd pass another pokemon, but not many since it was still pretty early. But those they did had mixed reactions to the two. One group of Shroomish looked at Cade in curiosity and shyness and then gaped in awe at Kaim's scar. Kaim grinned to himself as he walked away from the group.

Eventually the two came to a ladder that rose up and eventually outside of the sea-cliff into what looked to be another room.

"Ok, once we climb this we'll be inside the lighthouse!" Kaim exclaimed as he hopped on the ladder and began climbing.

"Wait, inside? How's that work?" Cade asked in confusion as he grabbed a rung and began climbing.

Kaim laughed. "Yeah, I was confused the first time too!" he admitted. "But it's really neat once you see it! The only way into the lighthouse is from this ladder, and you come up through a hole in the base of the tower."

"Hmmm…kinda inconvenient I think," the Totodile muttered under his breath, but for the most part he kept his opinion to himself. At the top of the ladder, Cadence climbed into a large circular room. The walls were made of pearly white bricks and the floor was a red clay surface covered with dust. There was a spiral staircase that ran up along the walls and disappeared into a ceiling above him.

"Cadence! Kaim! Glad you could make it!" yelled the voice of Lumen from high above. "Come upstairs please and we'll have a chat." Cade blinked in surprise at the Lucario's voice and how he magically knew where he was. Kaim either didn't seem to notice or mind as he began dashing up the steps on all fours. Cade followed, eager to make sure he didn't keep the Master waiting.

Popping up through the ceiling revealed a smaller circular room. However, this one was walled only by large glass windows. In the center was a large glass orb where the light for the tower must have gone, but there appeared to be nothing inside it. The most peculiar and out of place sight was the large red rug upon which Master Lumen was sitting. He was also sipping a beverage from an earthen mug. Cadence was beginning to wonder how on earth Pokemon were able to live with things like light houses and fabric, but he was snapped back out of his thoughts by Lumen.

"Hey you two! Care for some Cheri Cider?" he offered them reaching for two more mugs and a pitcher of the same make. "It does well to warm one's spirits."

Kaim instantly beamed at the offer. "Yes please, Master Lumen!" he walked over and took a cup of the cider and sat down on the rug with the Lucario.

"Cade, you want some too?" the Lucario offered. Cade was about to decline, but he felt that even though Lumen was his new "superior" now he could easily relax around him still.

"Ok, sure. I've never had Cheri Cider before," he replied. He sat down next to Kaim, who was already chugging the contents of his mug, and took a cup full. The drink was red and pristine like dark garnet. It brought up faint memories of cranberry juice. He took a sip, and wasn't surprised to find that the drink tasted like cranberry juice with the exception that it left an unusual tingling in your mouth and throat that evolved into a sharp spice. It was kind of uncomfortable at first and Cade almost gagged on it. But it left a nice, warm fuzzy feeling inside, almost as if he were slightly buzzed from drinking an alcoholic beverage.

"It's... really nice!" Cade commented before taking another long sip. Kaim took several more gulps before finishing his altogether, bringing his mug away and letting out a big sigh of content.

"Ahhhh! Soooo good! Thanks again Master Lumen."

"I'm glad you two like it so much. I make it myself, but it doesn't seem like many Pokemon appreciate its spicier aftertaste," Lumen replied with a happy grin. "But let's talk more pressing matters regarding Cade's first day working with us."

Cadence kept his attention on Lumen but didn't hesitate to keep sipping on his cider. "I don't know exactly what kind of business you run, but I'm happy to help in any way," Cade mentioned in between gulps.

"Well for now, we'll just worry about the basics of our operations, where everything is, et cetera. But in as few words as possible, Guiding Light is a mixture between a rescue response guild and a treasure hunting guild," Lumen explained.

Cade nodded in affirmation before Lumen continued.

"To do this, you need to be a member of a squad. In my guild, we normally have squads of about 4 to 5 pokemon who go out to the mystery dungeons."

Cade raised his hand to pause Lumen. "Um, just what exactly is a mystery dungeon?" Cadence remembered Kaim saying something about the field they were in being a 'mystery dungeon'. He still couldn't grasp exactly how being in broad open fields of grass under a blue sky constituted being in a dungeon.

Kaim spoke up this time. "A mystery dungeon is this really weird place where pretty much anything can happen. One mystery dungeon can be in the same place forever, but it's never the same dungeon twice. Just as odd, sometimes one mystery dungeon's entrance will move. They're really weird."

"Reality just isn't what it is normally in those things," Lumen added. "Sometimes you can enter one by going into a cave mouth and you'll end up in a field of grass like the one you were in. Or vice versa. People say that they are cursed by something that alters the land by some unknown design. Complete hypothesis, but there aren't any other really working theories on what else could cause a mystery dungeon's anomalies."

"This one was really weird" Kaim exclaimed. "Honestly, I was walking out of a hole in the sky when I went down a floor."

"You'd be surprised how common that is Kaim," Lucario mumbled with a look of remorse on his face.

Cadence mulled over this. "Well it seems that they have one thing that remains the same," he said in thought. "These mystery dungeons always advance to a destination, right? That's how Kaim said you get out of them."

Lumen nodded. "Yes, he's correct. The only exception is if one is knocked unconscious or they use a special item. All the same, they can be extremely dangerous so it is EXTREMELY UNWISE TO GO INTO THEM ALONE…" This was said with much emphasis as Lumen stared seriously at Kaim, who was trying to act interested in the inside of his mug… or anything that wasn't in the particular direction of Lumen's face. The Lucario turned back towards the Totodile. "Any more questions Cadence?"

"Yeah, actually," Cadence continued. "What exactly is a Forgotten One?"

Lumen and Kaim both frowned before the guildmaster replied.

"Forgotten One's are the title we have given to Pokemon like the Rhydon you and Kaim had encountered. They are Pokemon who reside within the dungeons and do not naturally venture out of it. Whether they remain there because they can or they must is unknown. Very rarely one may follow a squad out of one, but this is beside the point. Forgotten One's are vicious, extremely territorial, and abnormally powerful wild pokemon. They don't think cognitively like you and I do," Lumen paused. "…To an extent. Forgotten One's, despite having the nature and disposition of wild pokemon, show signs of reason. They are able to watch and learn things, such as a weakness in an opponent for example, and take advantage of this knowledge."

"The rumor is that Forgotten One's are lost explorers who ventured into the dungeon who didn't come back out and slowly went insane," Kaim explained with fearful excitement. "Or, there's another that says that when you become trapped in a dungeon, you sort of, like…DISOLVE into the dungeon. And it takes your knowledge and body and uses it to make pokemon to defend itself!"

"Ok, Kaim. Thank you, thank you. We've all heard the tal- er, well…" Lumen looked towards Cade nervously, who was smilingly nervously himself. "Anyway, I'm sure you get the idea. They are dangerous, and as such most tend to stay away from mystery dungeons with the exception of explorations and rescue guilds. That being said, we need to find a squad for you. And as it just so hap-"

"OH! OH! Master Lumen! Master Lumen! Can Cade join Team Wuji?" Kaim asked loudly. It somewhat deafened Cade a little since he was sitting right next to the Charmander. "They've still got one slot on their roster left after me!"

Lumen grunted in annoyance. "Kaim, I really wish you would stop interrupting me…but that is on the track I was going. I believe having Cadence join Wuji would be an excellent idea. But it is not my decision in the end."

"That's right, it's mine…" claimed an unknown voice from behind Kaim and Cadence. The two turned around to see a Riolu leaning against the giant glass beacon. He wore thick heavy looking rings of black metal around his wrists and ankles, and he had a cold demeanor about him.

"Ah, Squad Leader Reiki!" exclaimed Kaim with obvious surprise. "I didn't see you there! How are you t-"

"IDIOT!" the Riolu shouted at the top of his lungs right in front of the Charmander. "YOU WENT INTO THE FIELDS OF GOLD ALONE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO THAT ON YOUR FIRST DAY!" If it didn't deafen poor Kaim, it at least rang in poor Cade's ears.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Kaim apologized. "But Stella needed Oran Berries, and the mart was all out. So I-"

"SHE WAS ONLY ASKING YOU TO GET COOKING INGREDIENTS! THAT DOESN'T WARRANT YOU TO GO GALLAVANTING OFF INTO A MYSTERY DUNGEON! I AM THE LEADER OF THE TEAM, AND YOU DON'T GO INTO SUCH DANGEROUS PLACES WITHOUT ME TELLING YOU THAT YOU CAN!" the Riolu yelled for the second time.

"For the love of Mike, can none of you keep it down when you talk? And what's it to you whether or not he goes into fields of whatnot?" Cade asked the loud Riolu. The Riolu turned his attention from Kaim to Cade.

"If you hadn't heard I happen to be his squad leader," the pup said curtly. "Now if you'll excuse me…" The Riolu turned his eyes to Master Lumen. "Dad, you called me up here for something. I suspect it must be relevant to this Totodile here?"

'Dad?' Cade, thought in surprise. 'This kid's Master Lumen's son?'

Lumen nodded to the Riolu. "Yes, it does actually. Reiki, I'd like to introduce you to Cadence, a new employee of mine." Lumen turned to Cadence. "Cade, this is my son, Reiki. He is the leader of Team Wuji, Kaim's squad. I was hoping that you could join up with his team, but I need his permission first."

"C'mon Reiki! You gotta let Cade join our team!" Kaim begged the Riolu. "I mean, he has no where else to go and he and I are already such great friends!" At that the Riolu scoffed and looked at Kaim's scarred chest.

"Hmph, best friends, huh?" he asked snidely. "So tell me then. How exactly did you get that scar? Too busy playing rescue to pay attention to your fight Kaim?"

Cade was beginning to not appreciate the Riolu's attitude, and this was a thought reinforced when he saw Kaim's face become heavy with shame. "Well, I-I know that I shouldn't have been in the Fields in the first place." Kaim perked up a he put on a determined look. "But it's our job as a response squad to rescue those in need or danger, right?"

"There's no point in attempting a rescue you can't follow through with," Reiki put bluntly, "or you'll only make a heavier burden on the person who attempts the next rescue. That or add to the death toll."

"Hey!" Cade burst at the last comment, causing everyone in the room to look at him. "Look, I know this might seem a little out of line, but you really need to lay off Kaim, buddy!" the Totodile demanded of the Riolu. Reiki cocked his brow in a somewhat peeved look. Lumen's face remained stoic and emotionless, and Kaim was gaping in awe at what his friend had just done.

"And why do you think I need to do that? I'm his boss," Reiki stated.

"So, that doesn't make him any less hum- I mean, any lesser than you are. And yeah, he did get attacked while he was rescuing me. But I distracted him, so if you're going to get mad at anyone, blame me!"

"Alright, alright, let's not get all worked up over anything you two," Lumen said to interrupt the argument in the making. "Let's remain on the topic at hand, and that is Cade does not have a team to work with. Reiki, you've had two openings in your team for nearly a year now. Kaim has only recently filled one of them, yet you still have one remaining." He gestured to Cade. "And now, a perfectly capable water-type comes along looking for help and has offered his services. It would be foolish of you NOT to accept."

Reiki kept his eyes on Cade during his father's explanation. He closed them and sighed. "Cade is welcome to join Team Wuji and has permission from me."

"Alright! Thank you so much Ray-Ray! Just watch, Cade will make a great addition to the team!" Kaim thanked with overzealous gratitude.

"Grah! What have I told you about calling me that dumb name!" the Riolu yelled at the top of his lungs while keeping the Charmander in a head lock.

Lumen laughed. "Hahaha! I don't see why he can't. I mean, I use that name all the time; what's so bad about the nickname I gave you?"

"Sh-Shut up Dad! Uggh…" Reiki looked to Cade. "Look, I'm letting you join my team. I expect to see good results out of you the first time we're on the field, otherwise you're out. These are my conditions, so take it or leave it." Reiki let go of Kaim and began to walk back to the staircase. He stopped as he reached the first step.

"Oh, and don't think for a second that I'll trust you so easily…human."

The Riolu dashed down the steps, leaving behind a very confused and afraid Cade. How did the Riolu know his secret? Had he read his mind? Would this get out to the public? A million questions and scenarios burst into poor Cade's mind, and he couldn't help but break a sweat.

"Hey, don't worry 'bout Reiki Cade. He's really not as bad as it seems at first," Kaim said in attempts to ensure his friend.

"You sure? Because no offense or anything, but he really didn't strike me as all too likable. Y'know, being a jerk to you and me…it really didn't leave a good impression," Cade barely muttered. "On top of that, I don't feel all that comfortable now that he knows I'm human."

"I don't see why you're so afraid of other Pokemon knowing that," Kaim mentioned with concern. "It isn't taboo or anything far as I know… Though hearing about a Pokemon that was once a human being is a little crazy so…"

"Thanks Kaim…"Cade mumbled, even less sure of himself now.

"I wouldn't worry that much about it," Lumen spoke up. "If you try to keep something a secret, of course others will grow to be suspicious you're hiding something. But if you wish to keep it to yourself, that's fine."

Cade grumbled. "It isn't like I'm really 'trying' to keep a secret," he told the guild master. "But I'd rather only people I trust know it for now…Can your son read minds Master Lumen?" He couldn't figure any way besides that for why Reiki would know that information. And he was starting to get used to it.

"I'm sure if he focused hard enough he could, but he isn't that proficient at it yet," the Lucario claimed. "However, I'm proud to admit that my son has marvelous capacity within the range of stealth and covert. I'm a little less proud to admit that he tends to use this for eavesdropping."

'So he was there last night when Kaim and I were in the infirmary, huh?' Cade began to piece the puzzle together in his head. "Well, whatever. I'm just glad I got into Kaim's team. I have to make up for my screw up back at the mystery dungeon."

Kaim beamed with happiness while Lumen merely smiled. "I'm happy for you as well Cadence," he said with sincerity in his voice, "and I am positive that you will repay any debt you owe to a friend. But for the time being, I suggest that we continue on with your first day of training. Sooooo…" Lumen looked at Kaim. "Why don't you show our latest recruit to your squad house down at Crescent Town? I'm sure the rest of the team will be happy to meet him."

Kaim nodded. "Sure thing Master Lumen, sir." The Charmander saluted and began to run back to the staircase beckoning Cade to follow. Cade bowed before following after the Charmander.

"Oh, and Kaim! One more thing!" Lumen cried out.

Kaim whipped around. "Yeah? What is it?"

"I have nothing wrong with head accessories, but please find something else to wear on your head besides a bloody bandage." This was said with more literal meaning than it sounded, as the bandage on Kaim's head did have splotches of dried blood all over.

"Oh…uh, hehehe…sure thing Master Lumen! Have a nice day!" Kaim saluted again real quickly and obviously nervously before dashing down the steps as fast as he could.

"Cadence!" Lumen exclaimed once more. Cade turned to look at Lumen in response.

"I know that this maybe a little awkward for you, being a Pokemon and all," the Lucario mentioned, "but just trust yourself and those close to you and you'll be fine. If you have any questions or concerns, ask Reiki. He's your new leader now, so it should be his pleasure and responsibility to help you."

Cade gave his signature grumble to that comment, disagreeing with the former claim on Reiki helping him out. "Meh…" he breathed grumpily, "fine."

"And in the event that anything bad DOES happen to you relating to your being human, come DIRECTLY to me as soon as you can, understand?" The Totodile perked up and nodded furiously noticing the tension in that particular subject.

"Understood," Cade affirmed, "Bye Master Lumen, sir. Thanks again for the cider!"

The Totodile waved before dashing down the stairs and Lumen waved in return. Cade eventually caught up with Kaim at the bottom of the steps. "Hey, what's the matter? What'd Lumen say?"

Cade shrugged. "It was nothing important; just some precautionary advice. So, ready to show me 'round that town? We also need to find something to replace that damned bandage. Lumen was right in telling you to get something different."

"Ok, ok, enough about the dumb bandage already! Geez!" Kaim exclaimed as he quickly unraveled it. There were no significant injuries underneath it, and if there had been any they were long gone by now apparently. "OK, then we're off to town! I can't wait to show you the squad house, we're gonna have so much fun being teammates!"

"You really take this whole rescue exploration thing lightly, don't you?" Cade asked in a slight deadpan. The Charmander's bubbly optimism was kind of awkward. You'd think somebody who almost had their organs pummeled would have been slightly adverse to the job that got them in that situation. Apparently, this was not the case for Kaim.

"Ever since I hatched from an egg I've wanted to do this! Now enough talk, let's go!" Kaim jumped onto the ladder and slid down its sides, and Cade followed right behind him.


	4. Chapter 4: Meet the Team!

The subtle murmur of boiling water and the smell of an enticing meal flooded the small hut belonging to Team Wuji in Crescent Town. The sounds and scents were trapped inside, and the light from the morning sun was prevented entrance since the little structure was completely sealed save for a round hole at the top.

A young and somewhat chubby Bulbasaur watched the process of his team's next meal being made in a large cauldron with brimming anticipation evident on his face. It was almost too much trouble for him to watch without begging for a taste of what he knew must be heaven in edible form.

So what better way to relieve the sense of trouble than to start begging?

"Oh, pleeeease Stella! Just one taste, that's all I want!" he begged loudly. "Just one bite is all I want!"

"For the love of Mew, Arceus, and every other legend out there!" An annoyed Espeon, Stella, yelled in aggravation. "Zigfried if you start begging for a taste before I'm even done, I swear I'll smack you over the head with a spoon!" As if to emphasize this, she levitated a ladle cloaked in psychic energy threateningly close to the Bulbasaur's head. Though the utensil didn't bother the Bulbasaur, he did retaliate against something else.

"Hey! I've told you I don't like that name! It's Ziggs, dangit!" he yelled annoyed. "If you must, call me Ziggy even. The hell I'll be called something ol' fashioned like Zigfried! Do I look like some knight in shining armor to you?"

Stella telekinetically dropped the ladle into the cauldron, causing a small splash of hot liquid to jump out before it started to stir the mixture. "I'd be careful how you speak to me if you want to continue being my taste tester," she mentioned with a smug look upon her face. "And, for the record, listening to me would be a nice idea, being as last time you didn't and you ended up being tattooed by a Smeargle.

Ziggs looked down at his left leg to see the tattoo he had gotten. It was like three weird, mutated Unown without eyes were now pasted onto his leg, which is to say that it was a language of humans. Ziggs didn't know too many beyond the Unown alphabet, and this definitely wasn't Unown.

"Wh-what does that have to do with what we're talking about right now, huh!" he asked, obviously peeved that she had to bring that up. "Drinking some Shuckle's old berry juice has absolutely no relation to getting a little taste of what you're cooking."

"Awww, look. Trying to avoid the subject of drinking underage," the Espeon cooed sarcastically. "It's like any attempt you had made at being macho is utterly lost in a single moment."

"Just…Just shut up!"

"Hahahaha, oh, you're too easy to toy with Ziggy!" Stella exclaimed. A bowl on a wall shelf glowed blue and levitated itself into the cauldron. It reappeared full of steaming soup. "Here you go; cream of mushroom mixed with Belue berries. I hope my taste tester enjoys it!" she said with a totally apologizing smile. The bowl levitated down in front of the hungry Bulbasaur who was smiling in anticipation. And without a moments reprieve to let the soup cool, Ziggs dunked his head into the bowl of soup and began the process of slurping it up. Y'know…lacking hands and all.

Stella rolled her eyes. She having no hands either was no stranger to eating from a bowl. But at least she did it with some amount of decency. Ziggs, on the other hand, was just as rabid as a Forgotten One if he hadn't eaten for a while. Within about 30 seconds the bowl was empty and Ziggs was licking his lips.

"Aaaaah! Stella you make the best food ever!" Ziggs roared in what must be assumed was complete ecstasy as he leaped towards the cauldron. "I must have mooooore!"

"Not yet," was all Stella muttered before a psychic blast shot the Bulbasuar back from the pot. He slammed into the wall of the hut near the entrance with a loud bang. Ironically enough, at that moment, Reiki opened the fur drape over the doorway and poked his head in with a somewhat surprised look.

"What's goin' on in-" Reiki paused as he looked to the low groan coming from Ziggs at his right. The Bulbasaur was still plastered against the wall by his back.

"Soooo…delicious…" Ziggs murmured with a faint smile before falling off the wall and face-planting into the hut's floor. Reiki sighed and put his palm to his face.

"I guess you've finished lunch," Reiki assumed. "And must you be so hard on him? He's a valuable asset on the field y'know, and I really don't want my tanker too broken to explore."

"I heard that," came the resentful and muffled response of the Bulbasuar. "I'm not fat…"

"He didn't say you were fat Zigfried. You're the only one who ever brings up your own weight negatively," claimed Stella passively.

"Grrr…don't call me Zigfried!"

Stella shook her head. "I have finished lunch Reiki. I've enough for some dinner tonight as well. It's cream of mushroom with Belue berries!" the Espeon explained as she psychically dished up some soup for the team leader.

"Hmmm…I hope you made enough for five…" the Riolu mumbled disturbed by something unknown to Stella and Ziggs, who had now brought his face out of the dirt.

"She better have!" Ziggs exclaimed. "This stuff is delicious; I could eat it all month!"  
Stella rolled her eyes at the overenthusiastic compliment. It was nothing new that the Bulbasaur complimented her cooking like it was a cure for the common cold. "Oh please…" she continued to scoff. "Yes, I did make extra helpings in order to compensate for Ziggs. I thought I told you I'm making that a habit?"

"Regardless, it's not because of Ziggs I asked," Reiki stated before continuing. "Kaim is coming home tonight so-"

"HE IS!" both the other explorers asked incredulously.

"Bu-But I heard that he got hit with a Horn Drill from a Forgotten Rhydon!" Ziggy testified as if he didn't see how his Charmander comrade could make it home. "He shouldn't even be alive still, but he should at least be bed-ridden!"

"For once, I have to agree with Zigfried's logic…" Stella murmured agreeably.

"Damnit Stella…how many times?"

"Well, you're both probably right. Under normal circumstances, Kaim should have died on the spot. However…" the Riolu paused and his tone of voice immediately turned sour and resentful. "Something changed those circumstances, fortunately." Given what he said, the attitude really did not match up at all.

This intrigued Stella into probing for more information. "And just what was this something, Reiki? Might I ask?"

Reiki grimaced as he looked down at the floor. "The reason Zigfried won't get to eat the extra helping of soup. That's what."

Outside of the entrance to the HQ, a large arch decorated with a golden star that lead into the cave of the sea cliff Kaim and Cadence stretched their bodies, thankful to finally be in the light of the sun and breathe fresh air again.

"Aaaaaahhh…Geez!" Cadence yawned and exclaimed after a good stretch. "It feels like I spent an eternity inside. It's great to actually be outside again!"

Kaim nodded his full approval. "Yep! And just wait 'til you see the rest of the town, it's great! On top of being a hotspot for explorers and travelers as well as the hometown of our guild, it makes a great vacation destination!" Kaim began to point out the surrounding geological figures; the nearby beach with its warm waters and tide pools, the harbor for small sailboats near the base of the crescent shaped cliff, the mountains and forests that made for great hiking, and the outside fields where you could find practically every color of flower…

"And in the town," he continued by pointing to the village, "There are dozens of shops and booths where you can find practically anything you want! Our squad house is also down in there, but we'll do a little sight seeing first, how's that?"

Cade nodded happily. "I'm excited already! Let's do this!"

The pair traveled down into the center of town. Today it was bustling, and all the shops had there wares out on display on stands or bright colored rugs. The crowd was large, but not suffocating. Everyone seemed to be rather happy, sharing tales of recent journeys or just chatting about the weather. On more than one occasion, a pokemon in a rush almost crashed into Cadence had it not been for Kaim pulling him out of the way.

"Oh hey, you have to check out this place!" Kaim exclaimed pointing to a wood cabin with the word "treats!" advertised on the top. Cadence followed the energetic Chamander inside, which he then discovered to be a desert bar. There was a Makuhita and a Torkoal making pastries, and a Vanilluxe that helped a Delibird and a Miltank out with an ice cream bar and milkshakes. Across the room was a smoothie bar, where a Rotom had possessed a blender and was mixing some delicious looking drinks from berries, fruits, and herbs.

"This is me and my other friend Ziggs' local haunt; we come here a lot when we're hungry! They make some of the best stuff ever…oh, come try this!" Kaim brought Cadence to the ice cream bar first, and then stepped up to the counter. The Delibird approached him with a smile.

"Hello again Kaim, what can I do for ya'?" the penguin asked.

Kaim took a moment to decide. "Do you have any specials today sir?"

Delibird seemed delighted that his latest customer asked. "I'm trying a new recipe for Bluk Berry sorbet that doesn't stain your mouth, mixed with Vanilluxe's Vanilla swirled in if you'd be interested? We also have all of our normal flavors too."

Kaim nodded in affirmation. "I think I'll give your new recipe a try! Sounds good! Bluk berries always taste good to me but I've always been kinda disappointed by the stains they leave in your mouth." In the background, the Vanniluxe had already started using his abilities to create Kaim's sorbet by firing off a small blizzard in a glass container.

The Delibird nodded delighted and turned to Cadence. "And you, young lad? Are you interested in anything?" Cade was still trying to decide.

"Ummmm…" he mumbled while still looking at the menu. There were almost too many options. Some Cade managed to pop up in a piece of Cade's lost memories, and others were simply unfamiliar or just plain bizarre. He noticed one that seemed interesting and, after careful thought, could be pretty tasty.

"Seeeaa Salt...?" he announced in a long drawn out fashion as if asking a question, not declaring his choice. "Yeah, Sea Salt Vanilla sounds good, I guess." The Delibird nodded and smiled again, either unaware or not caring about Cade's awkwardness. He then left his post to assist Vanniluxe with adding the cream, sugar and crushed berries to the contained blizzard.

"Just you wait until you try some of this! It's the best stuff evah!" Kaim exclaimed with much fervor and a clenched fist. He then asked a little more quietly, "I wonder, do humans have ice cream too?"

Cade nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely," he replied hurriedly. "It's just as addictive to us as it is to you guys, now that I remember, hehe! But I have to say, we probably don't make it the same quality as you guys do. You know, using an actual Blizzard to make it on sight and all."

Kaim grinned at that. "Yep, best stuff I know 'round here!" It wasn't long before the Delibird came back with two cones of ice cream.

"Here's the Vanilla Bluk cone for you Kaim, and a Sea-Salt cone for the young Totodile. I'm guessing this is going on the guild tab too, young explorers?"

"Yes please!" Kaim said politely. Delibird chuckled.

"Such nice manners. To think that such young kids are running missions these days," the penguin said pensively. "Don't those guild leaders have any idea at all what kind of dangers are out there?"

"We would know first hand, wouldn't we?" Cade asked Kaim. Kaim smiled all too knowingly with a hint of a worrying grimace trying to break it. The Delibird was left clueless as to what Cadence meant.

"Well, so long as you two are all right with it, I say you should keep chasing your goals. Just stay as safe as you can. Kaim, you and Zigfried are two of my best customers, and this new gentleman here with you may make a third," the Delibird crossed his arms. "So stay safe and enjoy your ice cream now, ya hear?"

"Yeah, yeah, you worry too much," Kaim scoffed much to Cade's surprise. "I am destined to follow in my father's footsteps, just watch!" This piqued Cade's interest. It was the second time he had heard mention of Kaim's father. He wondered if he would ever meet the man.

…Cade's thinking paused then.

'Kaim's father…Charmander…Charmeleon…! Oh, right...' Cade had a momentary relapse when he figured that the one who his little lizard friend called 'father' was no man but most likely a fire breathing, earth stomping, wing beating monster of a Charizard.

'…Cooooool…'

"Hey, Cadence! Ya just gonna stand there and stare into space as your ice cream melts?" Kaim yelled to catch his friend's attention. Cade looked at his ice cream cone, now melting all over his little clawed hand. He quickly started licking his hand and the ice cream in order to get it all cleaned up.

"Dangit, I need a napkin!"

The two continued on their way through the town. Kaim happily showed Cadence all the sights he could think of while the two ate ice cream. Cadence thought that the town was…nice. He couldn't really describe it any other way, but it just resonated with him. It was small, and wherever he looked he saw Pokemon happily enjoying the sunny day and each other's company as they told stories and gossiped about random events and news. Along with the dessert house where he and Kaim had visited, Cadence found a shop run by two Keckleon's (one green, the other an off orange of all colors), a bank run by a Meowth and Persian, and a storage lot run by a Kanghaskan. There was a gym run by two Machamp, a post office in the shape of a Pelliper and (Cadence couldn't believe it) a railroad station that received incoming rail cars. Again, Cade questioned the ability of Pokemon minds. How could they do this? He was pretty sure that Pokemon never made railroads when he was a human.

"This town is…" Cade kept uttering in disbelief, "just great! I only have snippets of the town's from where I came from in my memory, but I really like this place all the same. Everyone is so happy here."

Kaim was grinning as he tossed the last remnant of his waffle cone into his hungry mouth. "Yeah, it sure is. I guess it's because the people who do live here feel safe under the guild's watch. They really believe in Master Lumen." Kaim turned to Cade with a questioning look. "But you mean to tell me you don't remember what town's looked like from where you came from? Not even where you lived?"

Cade finished off his own cone and then closed his eyes in attempts to think. "Well, I don't know…I kinda remember some things," he replied pensively. "Like, I remember there being…towers…and trees with leaves that looked like they had been painted gold or something…I don't know, sounds kinda far-fetched if you ask me…"

"Farfetch'd? What do you mean Farfetch'd?" Kaim asked, mistaking the phrase for the Pokemon.

"Oh, no! It's a phrase humans use… means…oh, never mind. I meant to say it just doesn't sound very…likely I guess." And then, much to Cade's surprise, Kaim began to giggle and then laugh. "Hey!" the Totodile quipped, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, hahaha! I'm just a little, hehehe…you find these things you're coming up with for memories unlikely and here you are a pokemon where you were once a human," the Charmander mentioned, again remaining quiet. "Either you need to reset your priorities or you're taking this sudden transformation better than a lot of other humans would." Kaim giggled again just a little. Cadence frowned in response and scoffed, but underneath he questioned the validity of Kaim's statement.

Was he taking this too well…?

"Whatever… So, when are we going to see our team's base? I want to meet this Zigfried character you were talking about, he seems pretty cool."

"We're actually almost there, it should be just up ahead if I didn't forget," Kaim responded as he looked forward. He smiled then and pointed. "Yep. There it is, see?" Up ahead in the direction he pointed was a large hut made of white wood, and decorated with shells and shining stones of varying colors. There was a big black W painted violently above the entrance to the hut as if to make it stand out and shout, and the entrance was covered by a black and gray fur. Smoke was coming out a makeshift chimney at the top.  
"Welcome to the squad headquarters of Team Wuji. A respected squad of explorers within the Guiding Light guild led by none other than Master Lumen's son Reiki," Kaim introduced as if reciting a brochure to a vacation destination. "And by the looks of it, Stella is probably preparing lunch as we speak. Just wait until you try some of her cooking its delicious!" Kaim walked up to the entrance and pulled back the fur.

"BUDDY!" Suddenly, with a large flash of green, Kaim was tackled backwards a couple yards from the entrance. Cade was about to run over and aid Kaim in fighting whatever attacked him but he noticed then that Kaim was laughing nervously while cries of relief were coming from the Bulbasaur now smothered on top of him.

"Thank Arceus, you're alright! You know how upset I would have been if you got killed on your first day?" Then suddenly he got up and started yelling angrily, though if you looked closely you could see he was starting to cry. "The heck would I have to tell your dad when he got back from his latest mission if you wound up dead, Kaim? You dolt! Look at that scar! How the heck could yo-"

"Easy, Ziggs, easy!" Kaim exclaimed, sounding sort of exasperated. He was trying to pat the Bulbasaur to ease him while at the same time attempting to shove him off. "I'm doin' alright, no need to get your vines all tangled up."

"Tangled up!" the Bulbasaur asked ferociously. "I'll show you tangled up! Around your neck, you idiot!" Despite the threat, the Bulbasaur never followed through and eventually got off of Kaim. At that moment, Cade noticed an Espeon run out of the hut as well, who noticed him only briefly before seeing Kaim and dashing over to greet the Charmander as well.

"Well," she asked loudly as she approached Kaim, "did you manage to get me any Oran berries like I asked you to?"

Kaim frowned as he picked himself off the ground. "S-Sorry Stella. I didn't end up getting the ingredients for lunch. Though I suppose it's a little late for that now anyway. I failed my first mission…"

The Espeon smiled softly and shook her head. "Come here, rascal." She knelt her head down to nuzzle Kaim on the cheek warmly. "Don't you ever again go into a mystery dungeon alone and without telling anyone, understand?"

"OK…"

At that point, Kaim managed to get to his feet. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed suddenly. "I want you guys to meet someone, he's my new friend!" The Charmander dashed over to Cade, who had until now managed to go unnoticed, and pulled him over to Stella and Ziggs.

"Stella, Ziggs, I want you to meet Cadence. I met him when I got lost in the Mystery Dungeon and he's gonna be joining the team today!" Kaim then turned to Cade. "Cade these are our team mates. Stella is our psionic Espeon and Ziggs here is the best Bulbasaur a friend could ever ask for."

"So this is the Totodile Reiki was telling us about, hm?" Ziggs questioned rhetorically. Cade could have sworn the voice alone betrayed that its speaker was sizing him up for something, or maybe that the Bulbasaur was a little hesitant about him.

'Reiki must have told them about how Kaim wound up getting attacked because of me,' Cade figured to himself. He would have dwelled longer on the subject until Stella came up to greet him, and remembering Anastasia and Lumen's own forms of precognition and telepathy, put those thoughts aside.

"It is very nice to meet you Cadence, and we're glad that you and Kaim made it out of the dungeon relatively safe and sound. You two are just in time for some lunch if you guys would like to have some soup."

Cade would have figured that after eating ice cream he would have been pleased as punch to decline, but he was still rather hungry. Disregarding this to his new nature, he accepted the invitation. The group of Pokemon went inside the hut, Kaim and Ziggs talking ecstatically (mainly about Kaim's battle scar and how "friggin' awesome" it looked). The little shelter was actually much bigger than it looked on the outside. There was a fire pit in the center, and wooden shelves holding up mugs ,bowls, and small glass bottles that looked like they contained spices and berries of the sort on the walls. Next to the shelves were cabinets containing unseen utilities and a crude cutting table with a knife that hung from a hook. Similar to the room Cade woke up in after being rescued, there was a small spring that bubbled up in one spot and circled around the flat earth that encircled the fire pit, only to drain out another hole. There were even three little cots filled with straw, one with a bunk on top of it.

There was a warm and comforting scent that permeated the entire hut, and it originated from a large cauldron sitting over the smoldering fire pit in the hut. Next to the pit was Reiki, sitting in a tight and what looked to be somewhat stressed posture and holding a bowl of white creamy stew in his lap. He caught Cade's glance, and for one split moment, squinted his eyes into a grimace before blinking and standing up.

"Well, looks like the gang's all here then," Reiki mentioned quietly despite the loud chatter that was filling the hut. Surprisingly, it seemed like everyone had noticed him anyway and quieted down so they could listen to him.

"Stella, Ziggs, as I already explained Cadence is going to be joining our team and fill up our fifth slot in the roster," he explained without looking at anyone in particular.

"Kaim, Cadence, hold out your hands for me," Stella mentioned in between Reiki speaking. Kaim and Cadence did as they were told, and soon enough two bowls that were glowing with a violet hue hovered into their palms before a levitating ladle poured them full of soup. It was pale and creamy sort of like oatmeal, but floating in it were slices of mushrooms and bright blue chunks of berries. Cadence, doing his best to regain an adventurous attitude, took a small sip of the soup.

"Whoa, this is really good!" the little croc replied in subtle awe. The soup was a nice thick texture. The cream and spices complimented the dry and chewy pieces of mushroom and savory Belue berries which would have otherwise been rather bland or too rich respectively by themselves, and there was a sort of sour tang to the brew.

"I told you that ya'd like Stella's cooking!" Kaim exclaimed happily, downing his soup with vigor.

"Oh really, it's nothing you guys. There's plenty left, so if you want some more just dip your bowls in the pot and get some. Now, what were you going to say Reiki?"

Reiki nodded, getting the chance to speak again. "Right. Cadence will be filling our last spot on the team and returning to us the benefits of a water Pokémon that we had lost beforehand."

'Lost..?' Cadence thought for a moment. He decided that whatever Reiki had meant by that, he'd ask Kaim later.

"Just so you know, Cadence has no memory of his origins or how he even ended up within the Fields of Gold, the dungeon that Kaim had wandered into," the Riolu continued. "He's joining with us in order to repay Lumen for rescuing him and in order to find out more about his past. Admittedly, such quests are not our first priority, but we will definitely keep them in mind while we are doing our jobs."

"Amnesia, huh?" Ziggs asked. "How do you think that happened to you?" he asked this as he extended a vine from within his bulb to reach a large bowl of the shelves and dip it into the pot for some soup. "You think you bonked your head on a rock or somthin'?"

"Ummm…" Cadence mumbled. He still didn't feel comfortable talking about the subject, but he figured he didn't need to scoot around any truth for this question. He noticed again Reiki's unflinching and critical gaze centered on him, obviously interested with what the Totodile would say. If he shared anything with his father, Reiki could probably stare down a herd of Tauros if truly necessary. But this didn't mean Cade would reveal his humanity yet.

"Probably not. I mean, when I woke up there weren't any real rocks around that I could see." Reiki looked away then, and took another sip of soup.

"Weird…" Ziggs muttered. "Well, 'sall good I suppose. Being as _you_ got out of that situation in one piece I mean."

"No kidding…" Cadence replied in kind. He could tell what Ziggs meant by that, but he didn't know if he was being reprimanded for it or not. The reminder of Kaim's wound alone was enough punishment on Cade's conscience as it was.

"Anyway!" Reiki exclaimed, attempting to keep the focus trained on him. "We still got work to do. Adding a new member to the team isn't any cause for true celebration. Kaim, I take it that you showed Cadence the town before coming back here? You wouldn't be so late otherwise."

"Uh-yup!" Kaim said happily, apparently missing the harsh remark at his punctuality. "I showed him the Keckleon Brothers shop, the storage area, the bank, the gym, the train station, all of it! And we stopped for ice cream."

"Ice cream!" Ziggs asked with a bewildered voice. "You got ice cream WITHOUT me? But… But…"

"You forget that while they were out you were still here begging for stew before they even arrived, Zigfried," muttered Stella.

"Well it's not like I KNEW he was coming today!" Ziggs defended "Not until Reiki walked in and told us maybe two hours ago. And for Arceus' sake PLEASE stop using that name."

"Hey, tomorrow we can go out for ice cream again Ziggs," Kaim offered to his friend. "They had a new flavor I'm sure that you'll like a lot, I tried it out. It was like frozen treat heaven!"

"Hhhhnnn… fine, I forgive you," Ziggs muttered as he lay down and buried his face into his legs, defeated and in desperate need of ice cream. "But mentioning 'frozen treat heaven' isn't helping, so change of subject please."

"Yes, change of subject! My subject!" Reiki exclaimed irritated at the numerous interruptions, but he gave up at that point. "Yeesh, whatever. Stella, I need to go back to the guild HQ and register Cadence into the team as a trainee." He stressed 'trainee' heavily. "I forgot to do that before I came back here. Can I give you command until I get return?"

"You needn't ask," she replied, finally filling a bowl for herself. "I'll watch the boys until you get back."

"Thank you. I don't plan on being long." Reiki got up and, without even a glance back, left the hut hurriedly.

Cadence sipped his soup in quiet contemplation. Reiki certainly seemed like the serious type, and he definitely wasn't taking a liking to how easily the Riolu was angered. Every conversation was like a stray ember that could easily light the fuse to a pile of dynamite. It was uncomfortable, to the say the least, talking around him. And to place the cherry on top, he was one of the few who knew he was a human. Cade didn't feel that Reiki could be trusted with that knowledge. He didn't even know if he had told anyone even! What if he had already told the team? Did they know he wasn't really a Totodile…well, in at least some respect.

"So, Cadence!" Ziggs asked, smiling now. "Since you don't remember anything about where you came from, what are you going to do about it?"

Cadence put his empty bowl down and licked his chops (which were ironically now definitely chops). It would seem that Ziggs was rather curious about his unknown origins. Did that mean he didn't know of his humanity? Or had he been told and was eager to discover more precious secrets?

"I don't even really know how I would go about finding my memories," Cade replied honestly. "I'm kinda hoping maybe they'll just… well, y'know, Pop! Oh, that's what happened!… I guess."

"You should just try asking around town some. Talking to the locals. Maybe they'll recognize you or be able to give you a hint." the Bulbasaur offered.

'I don't really think they would,' Cadence thought 'But hey, I probably won't be so lucky to have my memories restored to me on some mental silver platter.'

"It's definitely worth a shot," Kaim agreed. "And Master Lumen also offered his assistance when we spoke to him. Plus, I'd be more than happy to help." Then Kaim began laughing. "And if food's involved, Ziggs here will be at your beck and call! Hehehe!"

"Oi, that was uncalled for. But yeah, I'll be more than happy to help you out, food or not," Ziggs offered with a ready grin "Besides, seeing how easily my Charmander friend wanders off and gets lost in mystery dungeons you'd probably be better off travelling with someone with a good head on their shoulders."

"Heeeeeey!"

"What? Really Kaim, you're a pretty pathetic fire type if you can't take the kitchen fire. Get out if it's too hot for ya'." Ziggs remarked smugly.

"Hmph, whatever…" Kaim remarked turning his head away, totally embarrassed.

Ziggs tried then to console his best friend and apologize, but the Charmander made out as if he didn't care until the last second when he tackled the Bulbasaur to the ground much like he had been tackled upon coming home. Course now, Ziggs kept screaming that his tail-fire was too close and wrestled away from Kaim, which brought up the whole kitchen fire analogy again and Kaim began chasing the poor 'Saur round the hut with his flame.

"Aaaauugh! You crazy Char', put that thing back behind you where it belongs!" Ziggs screamed. "Stella, you're in charge, do something!"

"Why? It's just a little kitchen fire. You're around it all the time, I would know," she responded with a humored smile upon her face, her split tale twitching excitedly at the ruckus. Ziggs, on the other hand, had a look of utter betrayal on his face before having to run again from Kaim.

Cade found himself smiling while he watched. He had a feeling Kaim didn't wish any harm on Ziggs, and Stella probably had a better grip on the situation than she let on. The Totodile chuckled a little as the Bulbasaur was finally caught and he pleaded mercy, but Kaim just laughed and rolled over laughing. Minus their different species,the scene made them look very brotherly.

"Hey you two, calm down!" Stella called out then, figuring the two Pokemon had made enough trouble "Especially you Kaim, I don't know what Reiki would say if you lit something on fire with that tail of yours."

"Ah, yes ma'am!" Kaim said alertly, on his feet and off the floor, though this sudden burst of alertness didn't get rid of the smile on Kaim's face. The same was true for Ziggs.

The rest of the afternoon went by with the four Pokemon sitting around the center of the hut and talking about each other. Ziggs, it turned out, had been friends with Kaim since they were both hatched from an egg. He was from a forest maybe a day's journey from Crescent Town named Forevergreen Woods, was actually the youngest son of a highly respected Venusaur in the forest, and the only member of his family to ever join an adventure team for 3 generations.

"Wow!" Cadence muttered, fully bewildered. "You must get a lot of praise from your folks then, don't you?"

"Naaaah, not really. I try not to make it out to be a big deal to them," Ziggs replied. "I did it for the fun and the travel, not to mention being able to help people out. I'd rather not get noticed so much."

"That's very noble of you Ziggs. But don't you think gaining renown for the team would help us get receive more missions?" Stella queried the Bulbasaur.

"Are you implying that Team Wuji doesn't have enough help with that being as Reiki is Lumen's son?" Ziggs asked with nonchalantly, expecting an obvious answer. "The day Lumen gave him permission to start his own team, the gossip was all over the base, and I knew that even before I joined the guild! Granted, it had a little trouble starting up since it only had two members until Lumen asked you to join, but Reiki alone gave the team twice the popularity of any normal sized group."

"True, true," Stella mumbled. "I even remember feeling surprised that Reiki needed my help in the first place. But hey, fame isn't everything I imagine."

"What did you do before Lumen asked you to help out Reiki?" Kaim asked, eager to learn more about his comrades. After all, he knew just as little about Stella and Reiki as Cade did since he hadn't been on the team for more than a day before the incident.

"Oohh, well, I guess I was just like you guys for a while. An eager Eevee who one day decided she had enough of the boring plains and thought that maybe treasure hunting would bring more enjoyment and thrill to her lonely life." Stella began. There was a glimmer of nostalgia in her eyes as she started telling her story. "Of course, as time went by, I learned that I was not as suited for the up and front heat of battle as I thought I was. I wasn't too bad at treasure hunting though, and I remember the excitement of journeying through the land and the mystery dungeons, sometimes having to dig for treasure. Or maybe search for some little Pokemon that got lost one day. Anyway, I ended up becoming the Master Lumen's top scout. I was fast and lithe, and smart when I was somewhere I wasn't familiar with." Stella started laughing then. "I remember the morning I evolved I actually began cursing that I wasn't some shiny or what not because I had lost my ability to camouflage into the earth, and I was a little bit bigger than before. But those capabilities were traded out for my new found psychic talents. I could easily relay information back to Lumen from great distances once I had practiced enough. Plus I wasn't so helpless when fending off multiple enemies anymore. So, when he asked me to help out Reiki and to 'message' him if anything were to go wrong, I figured he knew what he was doing and that I would know what to do."

"Not to mention the fact that you are the BEST COOK EVAH!" Ziggs exclaimed. "I think the team might go hungry if it wasn't for you."

"Ziggs, don't you ever stop thinking about food?" Cadence asked with a giggle.

"No, he doesn't," Kaim and Stella answered simultaneously. Everyone in the room started laughing, even Ziggs despite putting up a meek protest.

'It's like they're one big family,' Cadence thought to himself happily. 'They all laugh and eat together, live together, and obviously work together. Stella seems to have devoted her whole life to this job even. I feel kind of humbled by all of this. Will they accept me?' But then Cadence looked towards Kaim. He seemed to be very happy when he was around the team. Kaim had already accepted Cade, and Cade felt that he could trust him. After all Cade trusted the Charmander to keep his humanity hidden. He enjoyed the company of Stella and Ziggs, but he didn't know if he could give away his secret yet. Not quite yet.

"Ok Kaim, your turn to talk!" Ziggs ordered.

"What, why? I don't have a story really," he replied meekly scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Oh, of course you do! Your father is the town blacksmith, that's something isn't it?" Stella offered.

Ziggs laughed. "Yeah, sure, blacksmith. Not to mention he's one of Lumen's best explorers AND one of the few Pokemon to have ever offered him a challenge! Your dad, Kaim, is a BEAST."

"Well yeah, that's him," Kaim pointed out. "As much as I wish I were him sometimes, I'm not. Beyond being his son and apprentice, I don't really have too much running for me."

"You've battled with a Rhydon before!" Cadence blurted, not thinking of the memories that he might arouse in not only Kaim, but in himself even. Just the mention of the Rhydon made Cade cringe and shake, if only in a way that could be felt but not seen. Glancing at Kaim, he noticed that Kaim also looked uneasy, and sad too. Cade wanted to extend himself, to apologize, but Kaim began to speak.

"Battled, and then got beat. That isn't all that spectacular I think," he moaned.

"Kaim, you are selling yourself short!" Stella remarked suddenly. "Rhydon are fearsome foes, and a Forgotten Rhydon is a feral monster! The fact that you have fought with one, at your age and size no less, might as well be considered a dance with death!"

"Yeah, and I know you didn't just run away like I did!" Cade added, happy to aid Stella in boosting his friend's confidence. "That part where you jumped on its head and Metal Clawed it was super cool!"

"Really? You managed to attack it! Kaim that's insane!" Ziggs shouted, his voice either impressed or disbelieving, or both even. "I didn't even know you knew how to use the Metal Claw technique!"

R-Really? Metal Claw was the first thing dad taught me when I went into blacksmithing," Kaim explained. Then he added with a smile, "Because dad always joked that if I learned it I'd never experience smashing my fingers with the hammer, hahaha! I had never used it in a fight before that day!" His self-confidence was slowly growing as the group began to praise him.

'Maybe that's all he needs,' Cade thought to himself as he smiled for Kaim. 'Do people not normally do that for him? Perhaps it's only because he just joined the guild.' Cade thought of another question to continue the conversation.

"What about your mom? Where's she at, what's she do?" he asked Kaim eagerly.

Kaim's smile began to fade slightly, as did Ziggs and Stella's. Everyone grew quiet suddenly.

"She… isn't around anymore. She got lost once on a mission in a really dangerous mystery dungeon," Kaim explained in a somber tone. "Dad said she was separated from the party, and then they got knocked out and forced out by the dungeon's curse, err sumthin'. Anyway, she never came out…"

'Of course, just when I was doing so well I manage to bring up the fact that he doesn't have a mom anymore,' Cade belittled himself in his mind. 'Cadence, you are doing so WELL at this friend thing!'

"I'm really, really sorry! I had no idea tha-"

"Oh no, don't apologize! It happened a few years ago," Kaim assured his friend hurriedly, waving his hands. "And to be fully honest, I never had that many memories of her. I was really young."

Cade nodded slowly, looking down and away from Kaim's worried look. He determined that he would never bring up that subject in Kaim's presence if he could manage it.

The team continued to chatter idly for a couple more hours. They all slowly learned about each other's ins and outs, a couple of petty secrets or tales from home or tales of old missions. The conversation at one point even went off on a romantic tangent, which was rather entrancing as Stella described her tale. But when Ziggs came in with his tale, he exaggerated so much that it was hard not to tell he was trying, and everyone ended up laughing. Reiki had yet to return from the HQ even as the sunlight that leaked through the draped entrance and chimney began to grow weaker, and the light of the fire flickered on the faces of the four Pokemon.

Ziggs stood up slowly and stretched out as he yawned. "Yaaaauuhhh… Why is it that sometimes I feel like I just went on a mission after a day of just lying around the house?"

Stella stretched in kind, though she did so as discreetly as she could before replying, "Well, at least it will give you incentive to sleep. You realize when Reiki comes back he's bound to have a mission for us?"

Ziggs groaned loudly, "Ugghh… Yeah, you're most likely right. Maybe I'll wind up with Kaim and make sure he doesn't go off and get himself hurt. Probably the best idea in the first place."

"What about me? How can I help?" Cade asked the Bulbasaur and the Espeon.

Stella shook her head. "That is a question best served for Reiki when he- Wait, here he comes."

The draped entrance opened and Reiki walked in. His demeanor looked unchanged; stern, uneasy, and fierce as he had been the last two times Cade met him. When the Riolu looked at the group, he glanced again quickly at Cade. No nonsense, no welcome feeling. Just a seemingly careless glance that was slightly intimidating as Reiki's eyes reflected the fire across the room. It was a look of mistrust, but Cade figured there may have been more to that look than he could discern.

Cade shifted his attention to the envelopes that Reiki was carrying, two with an emblem of a bright golden star that sealed them closed, and 3 others without.

"So, Reiki?" Ziggs began. "Didja get Cade's registration taken care of?"

Reiki nodded briefly. "Yeah, and I got us two missions as well. We'll embark tomorrow an hour after daybreak. Kaim, I also picked these up for you. They are commissions for the blacksmith shop that came in while you were recovering." He handed the three envelopes without decorations to Kaim, who took them with eagerness and thanks. Then Reiki sat down near the fire next to Stella. He gestured to her with one of the envelopes.

"Stella you and I will take this one here. An escort mission for a small family of Zigzagoons down Route 3 and through Rhombus Ruins so we can get to Inex Town." He then handed the other to Ziggs, who extended a vine from his bulb in order to take it.

"Ziggs, you and our two newest members will be going on a rescue mission in Tugley Woods," Reiki explained to the Bulbasaur. "The client, a Plusle named Kros, says you'll be looking for a Minun in the woods who has been missing for about a day or so. Bring back the Minun, and make sure these two newbies don't get hurt beyond repair."

Ziggs sighed, though he looked sort of happy despite this. "Looks like I got the baby-sitting job after all," he muttered before looking towards Kaim and Cade and smiling. "All good. We'll make short work of this mission, kay guys?"

Kaim clenched a fist and nodded, determined to satisfy his expectations as a squad member and to prove himself. Cade merely nodded and stayed quiet, but he smiled slightly back at Ziggs.

"Alright. Now that that's said and done, I think we should all get to bed." Reiki suggested as he stood back up. "Cadence, Kaim, you can share the unoccupied bed and bunk."

The team slowly began to migrate towards the beds. Stella told Kaim that she had already outfitted the top bunk with flame retardant materials for him, and Kaim was thrilled that he got top bunk. His enthusiasm made both Cade and Stella laugh happily. Everyone climbed into bed then, except for Stella who padded out a very comfortable looking mattress at the foot of Reiki's bed and snuggled into it.

"Good night everyone!" Ziggs yelled loudly to the rest of his team, laughing a little as he did.

"Good night!" replied the rest of the team at the same volume, except for Cadence, who couldn't understand why everyone was yelling right as they were going to sleep. He rolled with it, though he didn't reply in kind with a 'good night' of his own since now the hut was silent minus a few gentle sighs.

And then, Kaim poked his head over the side of the bunk and looked down at Cadence.

"Good night, Cade," Kaim said happily.

Cade smiled brightly, though he wasn't sure if it was visible in the almost lightless room, the one exception being the faint glimmer of Kaim's tail on the top bunk. But Cade could tell his friend was smiling.

"Good night, Kaim," Cade replied quietly. And with that, Kaim whipped back up to the top, leaving Cadence alone with his thoughts.

'Just another day in the life of a Totodile,' he thought funnily in the back of his mind. He didn't know if it was irony or just a mere jest, or if maybe there was a sense of seriousness, but this thought made him laugh all the same before he drifted off into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: The Presents

__You know, I figured maybe I should post some speech up top! Temp, you're a genius! Adding preliminary commentary to your writing again! By the Nine ( props to whoever gets this reference)!

Anyway, first off I should do this...

Pokemon is Nintendo's franchise, not mine, and was produced by Game-Freak.

"Five Phases" is my story.

K. Now, I'd like to thank whomever is reading this story, be it on deviantart or here, I greatly appreciate your interest. And of course, please oh please review and if you feel like it pass the word along that a cool new fic is up! I will not let this one die, I will not I WILL NOT. Recently I've been hitting some life-road bumps, so you'll have to bear with my lack of punctuality. Uggghhh, it's a curse.

Enjoy folks! Review at the end please and tell me your thoughts and what I might need to work on!

* * *

_The Night Before…_

Reiki was looking at the mission billboard in the mess hall of the Guiding Light HQ. He figured that he should find an easy mission for the sake of his two new teammates, but on the other hand he knew he couldn't just slow himself and the whole team for their sake. He decided then that he would take two jobs: a moderate mission for Stella and himself to partake in while he left an easier one for Ziggs to accompany Kaim and Cadence through.

"Le'see… This escort mission should be well enough for Stella and I… Now what for the others…"

Suddenly, Reiki's aura sensors tweaked and rattled some. _"Reiki, are you in the HQ still?"_rang the voice of his father in his mind. Reiki snapped to attention and, closing his eyes and concentrating, traced the mental link back to his father.

_"Actually, I just came back from the squad house, but yeah I'm still here,"_he replied in kind.

_"Excellent. Would you please, once you're done with your own tasks, come visit me again in the lighthouse?"_ Lumen requested. _"I wanted to speak with you alone before, but you left before I got the chance."_

_"Of course, I'll be there soon. Won't take me long,"_Reiki responded. The link was cut, and Reiki opened his eyes again. He scanned the billboard quickly, searching for a viable mission for the team's junior trio. At last, he noticed a commission from a Plusle to rescue his friend in Tugley Woods. He took the notice for that and the escort mission, brought them to Tennor's desk at the mission station so he could give the official commission and document it, and then quickly made his way to his father's quarters.

A quick climb of the ladder and a flight of stairs later and Reiki was once again at the beacon of the lighthouse. His father had taken his tea-set and organized it nicely now that nobody was drinking his cider any longer, and had taken to merely looking out from the windows at the vast ocean. Surely, in all of Crescent Town, such a view could only be perceived from this room. Lumen turned to his son.

"Hey kiddo! C'mere, lemme talk to you," he greeted cheerfully, waving Reiki towards the rug. Reiki sat down next to his father, and looked up at him.

"So, what did you need?" Reiki asked seriously, busily.

"Ahhh, that can wait. First, tell me what you're thinking 'bout?"

Reiki murmured, "I figured that a private conversation constituted a little more than idle chatter."

Lumen shrugged. "Perhaps, but I wanted to spend some time with you. You're always so busy out doing missions I don't see you so much anymore. Same with your mom; we don't normally talk more than commissions it seems."

Reiki grumbled and turned his gaze out the window. "I'd rather not talk too much about mom, if at all. At least not with you anyways."

Lumen was shocked by this and a little disheartened. "W-What do you mean by that?" he begged to know.

"I hear too much about you from her, and a lot of the time the conversations… don't end well," the Riolu admitted. He kept his gaze fixated on the roiling ocean, but Lumen could tell that his focus was only on not looking at his father. "If you end up saying something unkind about her-though I'm not really saying I expect you to, but, in case you do- I don't really want to have to keep from telling her."

"Why do you have to keep what I say from her?" Lumen asked.

"Because, I don't want you two mad at each other when she gets home," Reiki explained. Then he added, "Plus, there are some things she says about you that she doesn't want me telling you, or things she says that I shouldn't."

"Well, then why are you telling me all this in the first place Reiki?" asked Lumen inquisitively. Reiki didn't respond though, instead merely grumbling.

Lumen nodded. "I see," he admitted before looking out at the waves like his son. "Well, I understand. If you'd rather not tell me these things, then I won't ask you about them."

There was silence for a while. The wind whistled from the outside of the glass panels, and the soft crash of waves against rock could be heard. Reiki broke the silence.

"She… says that you're kind of lax sometimes…" he mumbled softly.

Lumen chuckled slightly. "Oh? She does, huh?" he asked slightly humored.

"Yeah… actually, she says you're just too easy going all the time," Reiki admitted eventually.

At this point Lumen was really laughing out loud, much to Reiki's surprise. The Riolu finally looked up now with his shocked and awkward look. "What? What's so funny!"

Lumen wiped a tear from his eye, and he couldn't tell if he was crying from his laughter or a hidden feeling of hurt that had momentarily welled up. "Nothing, just that your ma really used to like how laid back I was," he replied. He shrugged then. "Oh well, Pokemon change I guess. Heh… But while we're on the subject of secrets, I want to talk to you about something."

Reiki looked back to his father now, now that the conversation had steered away from the subject of his parents. "Mhm, what is it?"

"It's about Cadence," Lumen mentioned, his tone of voice deeper and serious now. "It's about him and his humanity, specifically. I'm not going to ask why or how you know, though I doubt he told you directly. Have you told anyone else yet?"

Reiki shook his head no.

"Good. Then don't ever, unless Cadence or I gives you permission to do so. This might not seem too important, but it is. Especially since he didn't want you knowing in the first place."

Reiki glanced to his left. "Sorry I overheard your conversation with him this morning," he apologized coolly, more for his father's sake than for Cade's.

"Mmmmmm…" Lumen hummed for a moment. "Methinks you didn't hear us this morning. You were listening to us last night, in the infirmary."

Reiki jumped suddenly and blushed.

"You were probably just peeking in on Kaim, to see how he was doing while trying not to get involved. But lo and behold your eavesdropping got you into more trouble again, didn't it?" Lumen nudged the little Riolu's shoulder a little. "You get what I'm saying?"

"I don't really think that this is any trouble," replied Reiki simply. "It's quite the opposite actually. I now know what I'm dealing with on my team, and I can plan accordingly."

"Oh? Please, enlighten me. How were you planning to prepare for a human stuck as a Totodile on your team, Reiki?" Lumen asked his son, a little peeved that Reiki was bantering with him as opposed to accepting the fact that what he did wasn't particularly acceptable. Still, this stubbornness was one of Reiki's defining features. It was what kept him standing when the odds were against him. Without it, he wouldn't be half the squad leader he was now, let alone half of himself. Regardless, Reiki didn't have a response to his father's question, and remained quiet.

Lumen sighed. "That's what I thought. Look, I'm not gonna beat you up so much about this. Just make sure you keep it quiet, kay Ray-Ray?" He shook his son's shoulder again reassuringly and put on a reasonably bright smile. Reiki looked up at Lumen and, just for the shortest of moments, smiled back before nodding his head.

"Got it," he replied. "I won't tell a soul."

* * *

_The Next Morning…_

"RISE AND SHINE!"

Cade's eyes opened as he flailed and shot up in bed. Kaim was standing at the foot of his cot, laughing happily.

"You must be a pretty late riser, huh?" Kaim asked his friend.

Cade yawned, his toothy mouth opening wide, and rubbed his heavy eyes sleepily. "Uhhhg… I swear if it's just after the friggin' sun popped up…"

"No, it isn't that early," came a terse reply from Reiki as he walked up to Cade's cot. He had a black shoulder bag strapped across his front, and he was fastening the bracers on his wrists. "We let you sleep in for 10 minutes because you're a noob. So stop complaining and get up, half of the team is all ready to go."

Hearing that, Cade saved his growling at the Riolu for another time and hopped up out of the cot. He stretched briefly before turning to Kaim and asking, "Ok, how do I 'get ready'?"

"Well, normally what you do is take a few items that you think you'll need for the mission, like Berries or a special scarf," Kaim explained hastily. "Orbs too, because they can really help you out, but they're kinda rare so-"

"Ok, ok, wait a minute, slooooow down!" Cade requested, gesturing for the Charmander to stop rambling. "I don't really have any berries or doohickeys or whatever. So… what do?"

Kaim grinned and chuckled nervously. "Right, hehe, my bad," he laughed. "I guess you can use some of my stuff then when we get it. If you'd like! The whole team tends to pool their resources anyways."

"Wow, you sure? That's great, thanks a lot!" Cadence was very grateful for this, but Kaim merely shrugged it off like no sweat.

Reiki situated the shoulder strap before speaking up again. "Stella and I are heading out now, so I'll leave Ziggs in charge of you guys from this point." Ironically enough, Ziggs himself was still asleep in his cot.

Reiki walked over to the cot and started banging heavily on its frame. "Ziggs! C'mon, you lazy 'Saur, wake up!" the Riolu yelled loudly. Ziggs moaned and then stirred, lazily rolling off the bed of straw and onto the ground, stretching when he got on all fours.  
"C'mon Ziggs, I shouldn't have to be pestering you like this in the morning anymore like I'm your mom or something. You know better!" Reiki scolded the Bulbasaur.

Ziggs rubbed his face into one of his legs, attempting to get the sleep out of his eyes, and then looked up lazily at Reiki. "Really man, calm down. You gave us a low rank mission and we have two newbies on the job. You run things your way and be all uppity in the morning, but I plan to take my mission today niiiiiice and slow if I want to," he replied in a long and drawn out fashion. Ziggs turned to Cade and Kaim. "Do I have both of your support for this idea?"

Kaim was a little hesitant in answering, whatever his reply may be, because he didn't think talking back to Reiki was the best idea. Cade, seeing that Ziggs himself was confident enough to argue with the squad leader (and still holding a large heap of negative emotions for the Riolu), nodded his head firmly. As soon as Kaim saw Cade's agreement, he agreed as well with a quick nod.

Ziggs looked towards Reiki with a smug and victorious smile. Reiki rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I suppose it doesn't matter if _you_think you have everything under control," he remarked. "Stella, you ready to go yet?"

Stella was rummaging through some cabinets at that moment, and the sounds of pans banging and jars clinking were coming out from where her head was. "Now I know I had some of that stuff in he- AHA!" When her head pooped out of the cabinet, she had a brown sac in her mouth. She walked over to Reiki and motioned for him to take it, which he did. "Dried apple slices for the road," she explained when she regained her ability to speak. "We might find something else to eat in town before we set out or even on the road, but in case we don't these should help a lot." Reiki nodded in affirmation and stuffed the fruit into his pack.

"We'll be heading off now. I expect you guys to get out of here soon enough, and be back by no later than sundown. Kay?" Reiki addressed the three junior members.

"Yessir!" came their ready reply, even though the Totodile and Bulbasaur both wished they were still sleeping. And with that, Reiki beckoned for Stella to follow him. They pulled back the tarp at the entrance and walked out into the wet and cold of the semi-dark dawn of a new day.

Ziggs turned to Cade and Kaim. He still looked like he was only 1 part awake, 3 parts sleep-induced zombie. Yet underneath that one could still see a glimmer of excitement at the potential for their day.

"Alright guys," he began. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them, everything 'zombie' about him was suddenly replaced with a glow of eager determination set upon accomplishing something great. What it was, Cade couldn't tell, but he certainly felt more positive when he looked at him. "Let's get crackin'! Let's get this show on the road!" Ziggs exclaimed. He whipped a vine into the bed of straw and pulled out an empty pack. He extended his vine towards Cade, motioning for him to take it.

"First job as a new recruit is carrying the pack," Ziggs informed Cade, much to the Totodile's dismay as he took the pack and slung it across his body.

"It isn't going to be super heavy, is it?" he queried, already guessing how Ziggs would reply.

"Well, I suppose it all depends on what your mission is and your definition of 'heavy'," Ziggs explained. "I'd say that the normal starting weight for that bag on missions like these iiiisss… eh, 10, maybe 15 pounds. But we're going to be packing for a 'passenger' member, so perhaps 20 or 25 pounds would be the best estimate."

Cade sighed, very much relieved by this. "Well, when you put it that way, 20 pounds doesn't seem that bad," he mumbled.

Ziggs began sputtering, obviously humored by Cade's words. "It does? I didn't know you were capable of lifting your body weight so easily? Guess we have a new team mule!" Ziggs laughed at his joke, leaving Cade suddenly "weighed down" by his task and the sheer reality of it all. Kaim patted him on the back then.

"Don't worry Cade," Kaim told his friend, smiling assuredly. "If it gets too heavy or you get tired, we can always trade off."

Cade scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled. "Hehe, thanks buddy…"

"Ok, ok. Enough talk, let's get going already. I'm sure Nanna has the storage units open by now." Ziggs told his team as he walked out the hut.

"Nanna?" Cade asked Kaim as the two followed Ziggs outside. "Someone I need to know?"

"You'll meet her this morning. She's the Kangaskahn that runs the storage facility in town." Kaim informed him. "Nanna's super nice, if sometimes a little too motherly, but what do you expect from a Parent Pokemon. Her business is running the storage facility for all the guild's squads, so you will most likely be seeing her plenty. Sometimes, she even has presents for us too!"

Cade nodded his head. He wasn't against meeting more Pokemon. At the very least, he'll be looking for someone he may recognize, or vice versa. And as Kaim said, Cade figured as a new member of a team he would most definitely be visiting the storage a lot, so it would be a good idea to get acquainted with the supervisor now.

Plus…nobody DOESN'T like presents.

The morning was still pretty dark. The beams of the sun could be seen trying to crawl over the tops of the mountains and forests to the west of the town, and they were painting the morning fog that clung to the hills with purple and citrine hues. The grass was still wet with the morning dew, and the three Pokemon could feel the water getting in between their toes and claws. Of course Kaim, being the fire type, was the only one not appreciating this next to Cade and Ziggs who both concluded it felt very refreshing and even energizing.

Eventually the trio made it into the business district of the town. Despite the impression it gave Cade yesterday, it would seem that even the liveliest section of the town slept with those who ran it. Still, there were a few Pokemon rummaging around preparing for their day of bartering or cooking or whatever skill they used to make a good living. The trio walked through the street until they came to the storage unit, a hut that was styled after the head of a Kangaskhan. And sure enough, who else would be running it besides a Kangaskahn.

"Morning Nanna!" Ziggs greeted brightly as he approached the counter. There were actually two counters; one was about a foot higher than the three younger Pokemon while the other was low enough for Ziggs to look over even while on all fours, made especially for Pokemon of the trio's stature. Of course, Cade really wasn't paying attention to the desks, but instead to the Pokemon behind them. Nanna whipped around at the voice and smiled brightly.

"Well if it isn't one of the young, up and coming members of Team Wuji!" Nanna announced happily. "How are you this morning Ziggs?"

At that statement, Nanna's pouch began to wiggle a little bit, and a small purple head of a baby Kangaskahn poked outside. The baby yawned cutely, and then smiled before shouting, "Shiggy! Shiggy! Hiiiiiii!"

Ziggs smiled nervously at the slaughtering of his name, but greeted the baby kindly. "Hey there lil' guy, how are ya'," he mumbled. "… Maybe next time you'll get my name right."

The baby stuck his tongue out at Ziggs and made a raspberry sound. "Phhhbbbttt!"

"Now that's enough, darling!" Nanna scolded her child, but very softly. "You should still be napping anyway, so go back to sleep baby." The baby moaned, but yawned nonetheless. Soon enough, he retreated back into the warm confines of the pouch, and wasn't seen after that.

"So sorry about that little scoundrel dearest," Nanna apologized to Ziggs. "He's becoming an absolute bundle of energy as I'm su- oh!" Nanna looked beyond Ziggs and noticed Kaim and Cade.

"Kaim, there you are! I'm sorry I didn't mean to ignore you like that!" she apologized again. "I heard about your incident with the Rhydon, I'm so happy to see you're alright… though that is certainly one ugly scar, honey! Are you ok?"

Kaim chuckled a little. "Yeah, I'm fine Nanna, really," he assured her. "I was fixed right up by the healers back at HQ, so there's no worry."

"Well they must have if you're already walking about so early in the morning, goodness me!" Nanna then looked towards Cade, who waved nervously once he realized she was looking at him.

"Hm? And who might you be, darlin'?" she asked sweetly. "Don't be shy, come closer so I can get a good look at'cha!"

Cade, a little nervous and worried that he was going to be smothered to the max like some baby, approached Nanna slowly. Once he reached the counter, Nanna leaned down and looked him over before smiling brightly.

"Oh, you must be the other young fellow mentioned in the rumors!" Nanna exclaimed in bright realization.

"R-rumors?" Cade squeaked. "About me? Really?"

"Oh, well of course not JUST about you deary, but you and Kaim yes! You are the young Totodile who lost his memory that Master Lumen rescued along with Kaim, right? Wasn't it… ah, Cadence! That's your name, isn't it?"

"Uhh… y-yes ma'am, or Cade if it suits you."

"Oh please, don't call me 'ma'am'. I hate being called that just as much as being called Maud… Ugghh, what a droll name I was given," she made a face of disgust and shuddered as she said her name. "Please, if you ever want to get my attention, call me Nanna. And I'll call you Cade! K?" her smile was so comforting and filled with warmth that Cade felt much more at ease all of a sudden.

'A mother… this is what a mother is like,' Cade thought suddenly. The lingering feelings of love and safety welled up within Cade with her smile. But unfortunately, he could not put a face to them besides Nanna's. On top of that, it was obvious that Nanna had never before seen Cade, crossing out any possibility of a lead on his memories from her. Cade didn't let his negativity show though, for fear of making the Kangaskahn worry.

"Sure, Nanna! I'll remember that," Cade affirmed, happy he could refer to her so easily. "It's a pleasure to meet you!" he extended his stubby little arm for a hand shake, and Nanna took it gingerly in her own giant grasp.

"My, what a gentlemon we have here! The pleasure is all mine sweety! Ah, but here I am probably wasting all of your time!" she realized. Without hesitation she started on business. She looked back to Ziggs. "I assume that Cade is now a member of Team Wuji?"

"Yeah, he joined just yesterday," Ziggs explained. "We were wondering if we could get the usual package of supplies from our stock for a low-rank mission for three this morning, if you please."

"But of course! I'll be right back!" Nanna walked back into the hut and descended down a flight of stairs into the ground. This impressed Cade a lot, though he found it sort of unorthodox. He wondered what things were stored away in that underground safe house and how they were kept preserved against the elements of decay or mold. He had seen enough of Pokemon and human works worked together to realize that it was probably easy to do that.

Nanna returned soon enough, carrying a small wooden crate of a variety of things. Mostly it was just apples, but there were a number of berries and three scarves dyed black and white as well. They had badges pinned to them, fashioned to look like the Guiding Light's logo; the shining golden star. There was also a wrapped package in the crate as well.

"You just take what you need Ziggs and put it in your bag," she instructed the Bulbasaur. "As for you two, you get something special, the both of you!"

'Wow! It sounds like that present thing was no joke!' Cade thought with surprise. Cade handed Ziggs the empty pack while he and Kaim dashed up to the little counter. First, Nanna handed Kaim the wrapped package. It was an amorphous parcel, not in a box but just wrapped numerous times around something variably flexible.

"This one is for you, darling. I kid you not, Master Lumen himself came down here just last night and gave me this package," she informed Kaim, whose eyes were now wide as saucer plates. She continued her explanation, saying, "He said he figured you would arrive here early tomorrow and that you were welcome to have this along with his high expectations and good regards!"

Kaim was already tearing the wrapping off of whatever was inside, and as soon as it was all off, he held up what was inside as if it were a trophy. It was a pair of goggles. The goggles were comprised of a black circle of fabric and a plate of dark colored metal attached to a wider portion that framed two shaded lenses. These lenses reflected faintly what pieces of light it could pick up from the rising sun. The goggles also sported two hanging pads on either side, perhaps for keeping ears or your head warm, and were fastened by buckles and four long strips of the same cloth that tightened the goggles to the head of the wearer. They looked really complex, but this only added to their impressiveness.

"Wooooooooow! What is this, Nanna! Is it a Relic!" Kaim asked excitedly. He put the goggles on and looked through the lenses.

Ziggs, at this point, had heard Kaim's shout of unbridled happiness and finished packing to take a look-see for himself. "Really, you got a Relic? And from Lumen, too? It must be pretty impressive if it's one of his! What's it do, huh?"

"Ziggs, what's a Relic?" Cade asked, still trying to figure out why the two Pokemon were freaking out. "I don't think I've ever seen one before."

"Well, we really don't know exactly what a Relic is, and they're so rare I wouldn't put it behind you even with your amnesia. What they do is they give whoever uses them the power of another Pokemon," the Bulbasaur explained. "What we think is that they are pieces of human technology that they left behind after the Exodus occurred a long time ago, hence the name Relic. But we don't really know for sure."

'Humans? Exodus?' Cade began pondering what exactly this meant, but he was interrupted by Kaim popping up in front of his face suddenly.

"CADE! YOU'RE ALL BLACK AND BLUE!"

"…eh?" Cade looked down at himself. Everything from head to tail was still colored as it should be, and it certainly didn't look like he had bruises all over him even if that's what Kaim meant. "Kaim, I look exactly the same as I…always have." He grumbled at the ironic falsity of that statement.

Hearing this, Kaim took the goggles off his now confused eyes, but they became surprised and wide as dinner plates as soon he did. He then put the goggles back on, then took them off, then on, then off. His smile grew wider with each alternation.

"I think it's something like funky see through vision…that changes people's color!" Kaim exclaimed as if he had discovered a true breakthrough in science and discovery.

"Kaim, that sounds totally silly! Why would you think something like that!" Cade asked, still not really getting this whole Relic idea.

"Well, when I look through the lenses, you turn colors! You became black and blue, and when I look at Ziggs…" Kaim panned his view over to Ziggs, and shouted excitedly when he looked at him. "Ziggs, you're all Green!"

Ziggs cocked an eyebrow. "Uhhh… yeah. Us Bulbasaurs tend to be…y'know… green," he muttered sarcastically.

"Aaagh, no, you don't get it! Here, Cade, come here. You try!"

Kaim grabbed Cade's arm and pulled him in front of Ziggs. Before Cade knew what was happening, the goggles were placed across his face, and then he understood what Kaim was saying. Ziggs was on fire. But it wasn't like fire in color. The flames flashed with the colors of a warm glade on a summer afternoon and the rust on a piece of copper, and danced violently all across his body.

"Jeez, Ziggs, he's telling the truth! You're on fire, too, ahaha!" Cade exclaimed.

"FIRE! WHERE! HOW! PUT IT OUT!" Ziggs shouted worriedly. As he exclaimed this Ziggs began circling around himself, trying to discern where even a single ember may be on him, which made Kaim and Cade laugh even louder.

" Kaim… this is so cool! Just what is this thing!" Cade began shouting excitedly as his friend started nodding his head in agreement. Cade continued looking around. Nanna was colored purple and red, but she wasn't on fire so much as the color radiated from within her and all around her as if she glowed. When he turned to Kaim, he saw a continuous explosion of tiny red and white sparks fanning out from his center. He thought that it looked cool over the spiral scar on his belly. As Cade looked at other things, he began to see other colors. Some were dormant, others were solid, and some were as vibrant as Ziggs had been. He even realized, after taking the goggles off, that he could see these colors through walls or other things that obstructed his sight.

Cade took the goggles off and handed them back to Kaim, still amazed at what they could do, before turning back to Nanna. "Just what are these things?" he asked her.

"Well, by the way you explained it and how it was Lumen who gave it to me, I would venture to guess the goggles give the wearer aura perception much like a Lucario," Nanna explained. However, Cade could tell by the tone of her voice that she was guessing just as much as he was. Kaim heard this and grew even more excited, however, instantly taking Nanna's advice as the sure thing. It was the best guess so far, anyhow.

"Oh, that's right! Kaim, Lumen gave me a letter to go with that gift," she realized. She reached into her pouch and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Kaim, who took it and hastily began opening it much akin to how he opened the first package. Inside was a note…

_For Kaim, so I never have to see you walking around with a bloody bandage wrapped around your head.  
Lumen._

Kaim began laughing happily before folding up and burning the note with his fire. He then took the goggles, situated them on top of his head and tightened the fabric until it was secure. The strips of fabric used to fasten it were long, so the ends fell down some along Kaim's back. He felt this and craned his neck to try and see behind him.

"…Hmmm… a little long. Hope my tail doesn't light it on fire," he muttered, unsure of the length. He shook his head, and then turned to Cade and Ziggs.

"So how do I look then?" Kaim asked happily. "Hopefully it works better than the bandage, right?"

Cade laughed heartily and then gave Kaim a thumbs up while Ziggs nodded his approval.

"Sweet! I'm gonna take this with me wherever I go!" He fidgeted with their position one more time, making sure he could easily put them up or down. He couldn't leave the accessory alone.

"Oh, and Cade, I have something from my own personal collection I want you to have," Nanna told Cade, "come here, please." Cade excitedly approached the Kangaskahn and did as he was told. Nanna reached again into her pouch and pulled out a long and thin aqua blue box locked by a tiny little latch. She undid the latch and opened it, revealing inside a necklace.

There was no chain, just a thin piece of cloth. The gem that was just barely smaller than Cade's hand was the eye catching part, though. It was a beautiful jewel in the shape of a drop of water, and its dark blue color made it seem like a solidified piece of the dark depths of the sea. Light shimmered and refracted across its smoothed surface, and if one could look closely inside there was a pattern of one large, dark sphere surrounded by several other smaller dots.

"Go ahead, honey, take it!" Nanna urged the little croc. "This little thing has been collecting dust for almost a year now, and I feel the last owner would have wanted it to be put to good use."

Cade took the gem in his hand, and inhaled sharply as he felt a rush of cold pierce his hand and run through his body. It was as if a stream was running through him, and it made him feel comfortable, collected, and invigorated much like the dew in the grass. He put the necklace on and felt the energy course into his very center as it touched his chest.

"Nanna, this is so nice," he muttered softly, entranced by the gem's effects. "Is it a Relic?"

"No," came the suddenly serious voice of Ziggs. Cade turned to see him staring at his firmly. Cade found himself sort of intimidated by the look. It was almost like Reiki was looking at him, and he felt hurt inside that he was feeling this from Ziggs who he had so far taken a great liking to. "No, that is not a Relic," Ziggs reiterated. "That is a rare gemstone found in only the most natural and untouched bodies of water, called Mystic Water by some… Nanna, are you sure Cade should have that?"

"Why of course, Ziggs, why on earth shouldn't he?" Nanna asked suddenly rather serious herself.

"Because…" Ziggs hesitated, flustered suddenly that he couldn't find the right words.

"Well, y'know! I'm not saying I don't trust Cade with it…but I don't know how Reiki will react when he sees it. He very well might explode!"

"Am I missing something here?" Cade asked, beginning to take the necklace off in order to avoid some conflict he didn't want or mean to start.

Nanna looked at Cade, her eyes carrying a very sorrowful gaze all of a sudden. She looked like she wanted to tell him something but couldn't bring herself to do it, which irritated Cade somewhat. He did not want secrets kept from him, especially when he was practically a secret to himself! But he could see that Nanna wasn't hiding something from him, but that she simply couldn't bring herself to talk about it. Cade was suddenly very sad, so he took off the necklace and handed it back to Nanna.  
"Here. Thank you for the offer, but take it back. I-I really don't want to cause any bad relations-"

"No, Cade, Nanna is right," Ziggs spoke up suddenly. "You should take that. In a way, you are the only Pokemon with the right to take it."

'Oh, hardly, Zigfried my friend,' Cade thought with sharp and dark humor.

"Why is it 'right' for Cade to take it, Ziggs?" Kaim questioned, emphasizing the 'right' part. Apparently the little Char was out of the loop as well. "Is it just because he's a water type?"

Ziggs shook his head no. "That's not it. Look… um, let's just not talk about it right now. Maybe when we get into Tugley Woods or later. But, whatever you do, don't let Reiki see that. Not yet."

Cade was still very disheartened now by this unknown burden that he was carrying. And how would he keep Reiki from seeing it anyway? Yet a gift is a gift, and if Ziggs and Nanna weren't fully against him taking it, then he would take it. Wouldn't it be rude if he were to decline, anyway? Cade nodded, and put the necklace back on. The running flow cold calmed Cade down once again, and his thoughts flowed with it much more easily.

"Well… alright, I'll take it Nanna, thank you. But I'd like to learn what the big deal is eventually," Cade claimed. "So, if it isn't a Relic, is it just for show?"

Nanna shook her head quickly, any evident negativity no longer visible in her eyes. "Not at all, darling! That gem in the hands of any water pokemon is a wonderful boon in the fray!" she explained with much excitement. "You'll find that all of your water-based attacks are a significant bit more powerful when you're wearing it."

This impressed Cade a lot, and he felt the undeniable urge to try it out well up within him. It was odd; despite not fighting much, not being pressed to fight by anything, and his one experience with fighting as a Totodile being such a terrifying experience…an urge to fight was still within him. "I promise I'll put it to good use then!" Cade assured Nanna.

Nanna nodded her head positively. "Of course you will, dearest. Just make sure you and your friends aren't pummeled by wild Pokemon you hear me?" Cade nodded in response, and looked down at the jewel. He began to play with it some, holding it up against the sun so the light shone into the deep blue of the stone and made silhouettes of the small ring of dots inside.

Ziggs had taken this moment to retrieve the packed bag with his vines. The Bulbasaur offered the bag to Cadence, and when he took it, Cade almost fell over backwards even while carrying it with both arms. Ziggs had a point: carrying your body weight WAS hard. Eventually, and with Kaim's erratic help with balancing Cade every time he so much as leaned in one direction, Cade became properly balanced and got the bag's strap across his shoulder.

Ziggs turned to address the storage keeper. "Nanna, thanks again for your help…but I expect to get a present next time, too, alright?" he joked with a smile.

Nanna laughed. "With that attitude Ziggs, you'll be lucky to get anything more than my left hook from me," she joked, clenching the fist to deliver said punch. Despite the humor her threat was still fairly intimidating. "Cade, Kaim, you two green-horns watch out for each other. I'm sure your first mission will be a downright success!" she called out to the other two Pokemon.

"I can't afford to let Kaim get hurt again, Nanna. You can count on me, I won't let it happen," Cade pledged valiantly. Kaim laughed happily though, humored even, and patted Cade's shoulder.

"Man, you are the most serious Totodile I think I have ever met Cade… actually, well, I think you may be the only one I've really talked to at all. But you get it I'm sure!"

Cade didn't get it, and tilted his head to the left in obvious confusion.

"…Right. You don't get it. Ok, ummm… Ziggs, can we get on the road yet!"

Ziggs nodded. "Yeah, we better hurry. That Minun is all alone in that forest, after all. Thanks again Nanna! Let's go guys!" And without another word, Ziggs was dashing down the road west towards the hills.

"Hey, Ziggs, wait up! We hardly know the way!" Kaim called after the Bulbasaur trying to catch up.

"I DON'T KNOW THE WAY, SO DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!" Cade called desperately, lugging the giant pack of supplies along with him as he attempted to break the speed of a brisk stride.

Nanna watched happily as the young rescuers ran towards the hills and into the light of the rising sun. "They're a good group of kids. Surely, they'll do the guild some good."


	6. Chapter 6: Mission 1: Start!

Hey readers! Sorry for the giant wait if you're still interested in this story, I've recently been having a looooot of stuff on my hands. Regardless, I'm debating moving my main base of operations for the story to deviantart as opposed to here, under the username Angellus-Socios. All of my chapters are also loaded up onto there as well. Anyway, enough chatting, lets get to the disclaimers and the action.

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Pokemon is copyright Nintendo and developed by Game Freak. I take no credit for its creation.

PMD: Five Phases is my story, as are the characters.

* * *

The young trio of Pokemon dashed out of Crescent town, making due haste towards the destination of their mission, Tugley Woods. They had been travelling maybe an hour at a reasonably good pace. Or, so it would be said, if one of them wasn't taking so long walking down the road with a heavy bag slung across his shoulders.

Cade gasped with heavy breaths as he struggled to keep up with his two teammates, who were a good two dozen yards or more ahead of him. He stopped for one moment and put his hands on his knees, bending over and attempting to catch his breath. So far, his job of 'team mule' was not leaving a good impression.

"This…sucks…" he muttered quietly with what little breath he had. He couldn't waste too much of the precious oxygen though if he was going to make an honorable attempt in catching up with Kaim and Ziggs. Speaking of them…

"Hey, Cade!" Ziggs called from afar. "You just gonna stand there all morning? We have to get to Tugley Woods first if we plan on helping that Minun!"

"Huff… Yeah, alright!... I'll be right there!" Cade dashed down the road as fast as his burdened legs could carry him. Upon finally catching up with Ziggs and Kaim, he took another moment to lean over and catch his breath before looking up to the other two. They both looked generally fine, though if either of them looked better off it was probably Ziggs. Kaim at least seemed to have broken a sweat from running some.

"I know that you're new Cade, but we gotta keep the pace up!" the Bulbasaur told Cade. "Look at it this way; it's still morning right now, so the sun isn't that high up in the sky. But the more time passes, the higher it gets, and soon enough it's gonna get real hot. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be carrying my bag in the shade of a nice forest by that time."

"Aaaauuuuggghh… do we really need this heavy of a bag, Ziggs?" Cade asked desperately.

"Hey, you say that now, but you'll be happy we packed what supplies we did once we get to the dungeon," was Ziggs reply. "Plus, what do you expect us to do with some of that stuff now that we're on the road? Toss it aside and waste it, nu-uh!"

Cade's head fell forward in utter defeat. Kaim came up and tapped him on the shoulder then, and Cade looked up.

"Perhaps it's my turn to carry the bag now Cade," he suggested holding out a hand.

Cade frowned and then stood straight, ignoring the weight of the bag as best he could. "No, it's fine. I got it, thanks. I won't get any better at this job if I don't practice," he told Kaim, faking relief. His shoulders were shaking a little from stress though, making his façade an obvious bust.

"Hmmm. Ok, how's this," Kaim began. "Being as your job is actually helping to rescue Minun, if you keep carrying the bag now you'll be too tired to be much help once we get to the Mystery Dungeon. Lemme carry it, and I'll let you carry it whenever you want once we get to the dungeon. If you want, I'll let you carry it the entire way back home even."

Kaim offered his hand again. Cade glanced at the gesture, and then sighed. "Fine, you have a point. Take it." He hefted the bag off his shoulder, practically letting it drop to the ground, and then held the strap out for Kaim. The Charmander smiled, took the strap and strapped it over his shoulders with a lot less effort than Cade had put into the chore.

"Geez, it seems like you're a lot stronger than I am!" Cade remarked, impressed with his friends apparent strength.

"Oh please, it's not that amazing!" Kaim laughed. "I lift much more than this when I'm in the smithy working on commissions. This is a good weight, but imagine having to carry a bundle like this, only full of metal."

"Aaah, no thanks. I'm good NOT imagining that kind of work," Cade replied and laughed with his Charmander friend.

Ziggs rolled his eyes and grinned. "C'mon guys, let's get moving!" he beckoned optimistically for the two others. And so they continued their trek down the road towards the hills. Their speed was greatly improved now that Kaim was carrying the bag. He seemed hardly phased by its weight, and the group didn't have to keep stopping for a tired member now. Plus, Cade could enjoy joining in on their conversations, which was basically guessing what they would encounter in the woods. Ziggs imagined there would mainly be Bug and Grass types in the wood, and maybe a few Ratatta or Patrat would be seen here or there along with a few bird Pokemon. He ironically assured Kaim that there would be no Rhydon, at which Kaim hardly muffled out a sarcastic laugh and glared at Ziggs who mentioned over and over that he meant it only as a joke and that it was a relatively bad one at that.

Soon enough, the trio approached a valley in between two hills. It stood out not just by its size but also by the vegetation that grew within it. It seemed as if the trees on the rolling hills grew towards this place and in greater concentration inside it. They looked to be mostly pine trees, and they were particularly taller and wider at the base of the trunks. Sometimes they grew in a twisted, roiling fashion that made it hard to distinguish one from the other. The warped growth patterns made it hard to see inside the mass of trees from the outside, except through an unnatural and much too obvious arc of trunks that the path the trio stood on disappeared into as the light from the sun could hardly penetrate the canopy.

"Welp, here we are folks! Tugley Woods!" Ziggs announced to the team as he approached the entrance. Kaim and Cade walked up to Ziggs, staring at the forest.

"This is a mystery dungeon?" Cade asked as he stared at the forest.

"Yep. Can't you tell from the landscape?" Ziggs asked. He gestured with a nod towards the forest. "The trees look weird here compared to the ones on the hills. Either there was a dungeon here before and the forest grew around it, or whatever causes them to appear in the first place actually warped the trees to become the dungeon itself."

"You certainly seem to know what you're doing, fearless leader," Kaim quipped as he took the pack off his back.

"You know it!" Ziggs exclaimed with a proud smile. "Alright, let's get ready for the mission. Open up the bag Kaim."

Kaim unbuttoned the cover of the bag, revealing the many compartments within. Kaim reached first for the 3 black and white scarves, handing each of his teammates one. Cade took a scarf and looked it over, unfurling it to look at the shining star badge pinned to the corner as well.

"What are these for exactly Ziggs?" Cade asked.

Ziggs had taken a shorter scarf with his two vines and began to use them to tie the scarf onto his right front leg. It was then Kaim had noticed the tattoo on his right leg. The markings looked familiar to him. Again, Cade's mind was teased by his lost memories, but he shook his head. As much as he wanted to think about it, now wasn't the time.

"The scarves aren't really much more than show, though there are some special ones made with tinctures sewed into them from certain plants that can help you, or made with resilient or enchanted material. But these scarves are just designed with our squads colors and let you pin the rescue badge to something," Ziggs explained. He finished tightening the scarf to his leg, and retracted his vines.

"Rescue badge? You mean this little star pin thing?" Kaim asked as he looked over the golden star shaped badge on his scarf.

Ziggs nodded in affirmation. "These are the badges that signify we are a rescue team from Guiding Light," he explained. "A long time ago, badges like these were imbued with power by psychic Pokemon to allow for a quick escape out of the dungeon in an emergency, but nobody remembers how to bypass the dungeon's 'grip' anymore."

Cade nodded his head in understanding. Granted, he still had many questions, but he again decided that the situation was too pressing for that. He wrapped the scarf around his neck, made a loose knot, and let the end fall in down his front. It covered up the Mystic Water and almost touched the ground.

"Yeesh, do these come in smaller sizes than this? I don't want it to get muddy or something…" Cade remarked. "I hope I don't trip on it either. Why is mine more… scarf like anyway. You have more of a bandana Ziggs."

"Yeah, that's a stock scarf for our group. We probably should have asked for one more your size or a bandana while we were at Nanna's," explained Ziggs. "We can get you a different size when we go back if you want."

"If you think you'll trip, you could try wrapping it around your neck twice," Kaim suggested as he started tying his own giant stock scarf around his neck. For a moment the Charmander debated burning the ends to shorten it, but figured that was a little destructive for such a simple problem.

"Nah, I think I'll live. Also, knowing your guys' pace, I don't know if I'd be able to breathe while keeping up with you and having a scarf constricting my neck."

Kaim then started rummaging through the pack, looking at what else they brought along, and began listing them aloud. "Ok, it seems like we got 6 apples for the trip to keep us well fed, a Safe Passage Orb, and 2 each of Pecha, Cheri, and Chesto berries in case one of us gets an affliction of sorts. Plus, we have 3 Oran berries… gee, that would have been nice to know a few days ago," he remarked, remembering what task got him into the mess of trouble to begin with. "Ah well, what's passed has passed I guess."

"So it was the orb that was making it so heavy…" Cade muttered to himself, glaring venomously at the clear and shining sphere. It was, after all, about the size of a small coconut and made of solid glass. He bet himself they probably wouldn't even use the thing.

"Alright, if either of you need one of those berries, or if I ask for one, don't hesitate to use them," Ziggs told the two Pokemon. "This is a relatively low leveled mission in a small dungeon, so we shouldn't have to take the conservative approach."

"Got it!" Kaim exclaimed.

"Understood," Cade mumbled. He was nervous about this, but he tried not to let it show.

Ziggs nodded with a smile. "Then let's do this!" And with his valiant and smug determination, he rushed headlong into the dungeon. Soon enough, he vanished into the shade of the warped trees.

Cade watched Ziggs run into the dungeon, and began breathing deeply. He still had apprehensive thoughts about this whole ordeal, reflecting back upon the Rhydon incident.

'No, I can't keep thinking about that,' he thought to himself. 'If I'm gonna be of any use…If I'm gonna repay Kaim… I have to do this.'

"You ok Cade?" Kaim asked him. "You're shaking like you're still carrying the pack."

Cade blinked as he realized his friend was right. He glanced down at his clawed hand and saw it vibrating violently. He curled his stubby little fingers into as tight a grip as he could form. The shaking steadied some, but didn't quit.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Just nervous," he admitted to the Charmander.

"Mmmm… me too," Kaim admitted in kind.

"What?" Cade exclaimed doubtfully. "You're kidding me, you seemed to be taking this like a pro!"

"Not really. This is my first actual mission, and to be honest…I'm sorta scared."

Cade was silent with his thoughts. Kaim had a much more pressing reason than himself. Granted, Cade still wasn't used to the body of a Totodile, and probably would not be that useful in the event of a battle. But Kaim…Kaim was impaled by a rampant beast! One really needed to try to get a worse fate than that.

Cade growled deeply, angry with himself. Gathering up his will and filled with renewed determination, he reached down and picked the bag up off the ground and slung it around his shoulders quickly. He almost lost his balance, but he maintained it in the end.

"Hey, are you sure you can carry that?" Kaim asked.

"Absolutely. C'mon Kaim, let's go save that Minun!" Cade's reply was loud and positive, and Kaim smiled. The Charmander felt that he would be able to do this with Cade's help. And Ziggs' too.

'I shouldn't worry too much,' he thought, smiling even wider. "Alright!"

And so, with reckless courage welling in their hearts, the two dashed into the shade of the forest.

* * *

**TUGLEY WOODS – F1**

* * *

The change in atmosphere was immediate, but it came with such small differences that it was almost unnoticed. The shaded earth within the woods was cool to the touch and a fragrance of grass and pine needles lingered on every breath Cade took. Small flecks of light dotted the ground and the trunks amidst the shaded terrain. The chirps and clicks of insects echoed from all directions through the trees.

Cade and Kaim entered the woods and found Ziggs already looking towards their direction.

"Well, here we are then," said Ziggs cheerily. "Let's get to rescuing!"

"Do we know what floor of the dungeon the Minun is on?" Kaim asked the Bulbasaur.

Ziggs opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly closed it with a frown. "Well, I guess I don't have everything under control…"

"You don't know where the Minun is?" Cade asked bewildered. He also thought that Ziggs had everything under control. Honestly though, it really wasn't that horrible of a mistake. "Well, Minun's in here somewhere right? We'll just have to look extra hard on every floor we come across."

" Fraid so. Sorry 'bout this guys," Ziggs apologized, smiling sheepishly. "All the better to help train you though I guess."

Kaim chuckled a little. "There's a good way of looking at it!" he remarked, humored.

Cade nodded with a smile. "Right, lead the way Ziggs!"

Ziggs lead the three set out through the forest. The path began to break off into forks and take sharp turns. Because of how thick the brush and the trees were, most of the time it was almost like walking down a corridor made of wood and greenery. The trio would shout out for the Minun into the trees, but as they kept walking, Ziggs would occasionally bring up a helpful tip to Kaim and Cade or spot a specifically dangerous plant that sported irritating needles or poisons with nasty side effects. After about 30 minutes yelling for the Minun, they still had no luck. Their throats had also grown a little dry from the yelling.

Cade grumbled quietly. "This forest sure is deep," he mumbled. "You'd think the Minun would have been able to hear us by now though."

"Maybe this means he's on the next floor," Kaim suggested.

"Or she. I remember the mission request didn't say whether the Minun was a male or female. Or even give me a name for that matter," Ziggs said peeved with the lack of information and with himself for forgetting what little there was.

Cade let out a disgruntled sigh, but perked up suddenly when he heard a rustling in the leaves above. He squinted, trying to make out what made the sound. The leaves rustled again, and his gaze darted in the direction of the sound in time to see the leaves shake violently. But what made them shake he didn't see.

"Guys, are you hearing that?" he asked the rest of his group.

Kaim nodded his head. "I just heard it. It might be a wild Pokemon," he affirmed with his friend. He put on the goggles and started scanning the tree tops.

"Keep together, back to back. That way it won't be able to jump us," Ziggs ordered the team.

The three stepped back until they formed a ring, all of them facing outward. Cade noticed two vines extend themselves from the bottom of Ziggs' bulb, and Kaim's claws began to shimmer brightly as light reflected off of them. Cade still was unsure of how to prepare an attack properly, as he had only ever fired off one (though he thought it was a pretty good shot). He simply braced himself for whatever might come at them.

A third rustling of the leaves sounded silently above Ziggs.

"Minun, is that you? We're a rescue team! We're here to help you," Ziggs called cautiously to the rustling leaves. No reply came. Ziggs' eyes narrowed suspiciously as his vines retracted just slightly towards the bulb.

"Ziggs, I'm not sure, but its aura doesn't really look…Minun'ish." Kaim informed the leader. "It's shaped like it has 6 legs!"

The leaves rustled again, and Cadence saw a green blur as Zigg's vines reached beneath his bulb and a flurry of blade like leaves zoomed towards the canopy. They severed the leaves and branches, and a chunk of foliage fell from above. In its place was a green spider-like creature, its abdomen raised up showing off a disturbing face like pattern and hissing in an attempt to threaten the three. Ziggs harrumphed. "Just a wild Spinarak."

Cade recognized the Pokemon. "A Spinarak? That should be an easy target for you Kaim!" he suggested with a positive grin to his friend. A quick shot of fire and the bug would be toast.

"I don't think I should use my fire attacks so much in a forest like this Cade. It might end badly for the trees. And us," he explained to Cade.

"He's right. It's better that Kaim keeps with hand to hand fighting in this place," Ziggs agreed. "Me, on the other hand…" Again, Ziggs flung two more sharpened leaves up towards the Spinarak. They collided with it head on, and the Spinarak hissed loudly. But otherwise it seemed unfazed.

Ziggs frowned in disappointment. "Tch, grass attacks are pretty useless against these guys…"

The Spinarak hissed and clicked, and with the sound of it the tree tops began to rustle once more all over. The hissing was joined in by another hiss as a second Spinarak revealed itself from the leaves. More hissing, followed by a third Spinarak. Then a fourth, and a fifth.

"Guys…" Kaim muttered to his teammates nervously, "Th-The Spinarak are starting to swarm in the trees. What are we supposed to do now?"

Within moments there were about fifteen Spinarak up in the trees. Their hissing sounded like a giant frying pan cooking some slab of greasy meat, and it began to hurt the ears of the rescue team.

"You act like you're afraid of spiders or something," Cade mumbled back.

"Well I can say that I'm not exactly fond of them," the Charmander admitted.

"Quiet you guys!" Ziggs hissed… though very much unlike the Spinarak. The spider pokemon stopped their hissing, and without warning began to shoot threads of sticky web from their fangs.

Ziggs reacted without a glance. "Quick everyone, separate!" He ran away from the two other pokemon. However, Kaim and Cade did not have such trained reflexes. Kaim did not get very far before he felt the webbing capture his leg, causing him to trip mid-escape, and Cade didn't manage to dodge at all as the web began to wrap over his arms. He wasn't completely bound, but it certainly hampered his ability to move. Plus, the web was slimy and adhesive. He tried to get it off, but as he struggled the web wrapped over him more.

"Ah! What is this stuff made of, duct tape!" Cade asked in a fit as he continued to struggle.

The Spinarak noticed Cade was the weakest target so far. Though he was already practically captured by the web, they aimed to bind him further and spat more thread at the Totodile. But before the Spinarak could catch Cade in a second layer of webbing, a flurry of leaves flew in from the side and intercepted the webs. The Spinarak, angered and hissing again, turned their attention to Ziggs who had protected their prey.

"Kaim, get you and Cade out of that mess while I hold them off!" he told the Charmander. Ziggs stood up on his front legs, aiming his bulb at the Spinarak hoard. Small glowing seeds began to rapidly shoot from the bulb and hit the Spinarak. They cringed in annoyance and minute pain, some of them even getting pushed off of the branches and into the brush below. Now fully enraged by Ziggs, they began to target him. They fired off more String Shots and poisonous needles at the Bulbasaur. Ziggs was able to keep the attacks at bay with Bullet Seed, but eventually Ziggs couldn't keep the attack going, and was bound to the ground by the sticky web and hit multiple times with the poison stings. Because of his poison typing, he was more annoyed than harmed, but it was slowly beginning to sting.

"Gaaaaah, friggin' bugs!" he yelled, retracting his vines from his bulb again and pushing outward against the web that bound him, occasionally using Razor Leaf in order to sever it as well. Within moments, he was free, and began dodging and defending against the attacks once more.

Kaim had managed to use his tail flame to burn the webbing from his foot. He turned to Cade, who was now almost completely covered in the gray thread. It was hardening now, mummifying Cade within the cocoon trap.

"Hey Kaim, buddy ol' pal… a little help… please?" he muttered from within the webs.

"Yeah, just gimme a sec," he reassured Cade. He looked all over the mess for a place where he could dig his claws into. He found a reasonable gap in the webbing and used Metal Claw in order to rip through it. Even with the razor sharp claws it was no easy task though, and Kaim found the web to be almost hard as rock after it settled. If he had maybe an hour to try and rip through this junk, it wouldn't be so bad. But he didn't, and while he was struggling with this problem, the Spinarak were now beginning to surround the two of them.

They hissed and raised their abdomens in fierce resistance, hoping to frighten the two explorers. But Kaim was just about fed up with their hissing.

"Back off!" he shouted, and with his exclamation a strong flame flowed from his mouth as he spoke. He didn't mean to aim it at the bugs or in their direction since they were still near the trees and shrubs, but they got the message and began to retreat back into the brush.

Cade was impressed, and he got an idea seeing the flame.

"Kaim, you think you can burn through this stuff instead of ripping it?" he suggested to the Charmander. Kaim looked at his friend with a questioning gaze.

"Uhh, you sure? I mean it's already hard as stone. I might burn you too. I don't know, it doesn't seem like a great idea."

"Well, no offense, but clawing at it isn't getting us anywhere fast either," Cade told him, struggling a little as he did. "And besides, I'm a water type. What's a little fire to me, huh?"

Charmander frowned and sighed. "Fine, fine, you win. You might wanna look away though."

Cade turned his face away as Kaim took a quick breath and blew a steady stream of fire over the webbing. Fortunately the webbing seemed to be burning away now. Cade didn't feel much more than a little warm and a slight sting as the flame finally pierced through the cocoon. He stretched a little outwards and he was free.

"Alright, I'm out! Glad that worked!" Cade exclaimed with a smile. He checked the pack quickly, and was relieved his burden was not scorched by the fire.

Kaim smiled too, glad the Totodile was ok. "Yeah! Quick, let's go see if we can help Ziggs now!"

The Bulbasaur in question was beginning to slow down some from the onslaught of attacks and webbing aimed at him. Ziggs had already been caught in two webs, but managed to successfully break free before it hardened over him. Yet he was beginning to pant some from all the dodging and blocking. He had to admit that he wasn't used to moving around so much.

"Stupid bugs! Can't you just go bother something else?" he yelled at the Spinarak, crouching defensively with his two vines extracted.

The bugs hissed once more at the Bulbasaur before a bright flash of orange and red lit up the trees. Kaim had breathed another small ball of fire in an attempt to scare away the bugs without lighting the trees on fire. It seemed to be enough for the Spinarak as they cowered into the trees and retreated from the fray.

Ziggs stared at the spots where the Spinarak were for another couple of moments before finally sighing and relaxing his stance. His vines slowly slinked down beneath his bulb, and he turned to the two other Pokemon.

"Well, wasn't that exciting everyone?" Ziggs asked with witty sarcasm drenching his voice. Still, even then he smiled. Kaim returned the smile nervously as he removed his goggles while Cade merely stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"I'd rather not go through it again," replied the Totodile replied. "What did we do for them to get so angry anyway?"

"I figure we're just in the midst of enemy territory now is all. Specifically their territory," Ziggs answered.

"So we were trespassing on their nest?" Kaim asked.

"Mmmmaybe," Ziggs said in pensive thought. "But I really don't think this is their nest. Not enough webs, y'know what I mean? Although it DOES mean we're probably close to it, so we should be careful for that."

"It's a shame we're in a forest. Kaim would've burninated all dem Spinarak otherwise, right Kaim?" Cade claimed enthusiastically to the Charmander with a pat on the back.

"If that was the case it would have been a lot easier. But it wasn't," Ziggs mentioned. He sniggered for a bit. "This is prolly where Reiki would say something like, 'And this is why you shouldn't rely upon type advantage alone. The environment changes with each battle, and it can be to your benefit or your misfortune,'" he said, mimicking Reiki's somber and serious voice. "Er, somethin' like that."

Cade laughed lightly before noticing a flicker of green fall from the canopy towards Ziggs.

"Ziggs, watch out!" But Ziggs didn't have enough time to react any more than glancing behind him. He saw the Spinarak, attempting to pounce on his blind spot with fangs bared, and then that same Spinarak being shot away by a jet of white water. The Spinarak was shot all the way back into the brush, and didn't come back out. Ziggs looked back towards the only water Pokemon in the vicinity to find Cade actually choking some on the water he just expelled, with Kaim shouting worriedly and patting him on the back.

'I just witnessed a water pokemon choking on water…' Ziggs thought to himself, his eyebrow cocked and doing his very best not to laugh. He managed to get out of it with a little smirk, and was too distracted by the hilarity to question how odd it was for a Totodile to choke on its own water.

"Hey, are you ok Cade?" he asked the Totodile, who had just gotten over his coughing fit. He was still breathing deeply and held a finger up in response to request a moment. Kaim, smiling as if he should be embarrassed, turned to Ziggs.

"I think the only thing hurt is his dignity- ouch! Ok ok, I was just joking." Cade, despite his choking episode, was still able to kick things as demonstrated. All in good fun of course.

"Me and my dignity are perfectly fine… e-hem!" Cade muttered before clearing his throat.

"Well, if you're coughing fit is over we should probably start looking for the passage to the next floor." Ziggs suggested. He turned towards a path deeper into some brush. "Let's try down here."

The path itself was straight with no deviations. Cade was half expecting some more Spinarak to jump out at them. Fortunately, that never happened. After travelling down the path for another 10 minutes, it opened into a clearing. It was a circle formed by the forest, the trees all bowing into the middle as if in reverence. And if that was the case, they would be bowing to the giant tree in the center with a trunk as thick as the team's hut back in town. Unlike the other trees, this particular one grew straight up and didn't sport any branches until the canopy. But the most unusual part about it was that there were stairs grown into the tree. Not carved out, but actually grown naturally.

Cade was enamored by the sight. Not only were there intricate stairs growing along its sides, but the sheer size of the tree was enough to impress him.

"Hey guys," Cade started, his gaze beginning to wander up the tree as he tilted his head back, "Is this kinda thing…normal?"

"If by normal you mean 'mystery dungeon normal' I guess so," Kaim replied, staring just like the Totodile.

"Well it solves one mystery," Ziggs cleared up. "Those stairs will lead us to the next floor I'm betting. Let's get climbing."

The trio approached the tree and began their ascent up the trunk. After the first 30 steps or so, Cade was beginning to feel the burden of the pack weigh even heavier. Thankfully, the stairs grew into a wide limb of the tree, big enough for all three Pokemon to stand on without any problem. There was also another oddity of the tree; another dark passage that was too door like to look natural but still apparently grown into the tree.

"This tree is just freaky," Kaim muttered unsuredly. As if to reinforce this, a gust of wind blew through the tree tops, rustling the leaves and smaller branches and causing some of the trees to creak and moan.

That was enough freaky for the whole team, and decided to hurry quickly into the dark beyond the door.

* * *

**TUGLEY WOODS – INSIDE THE FREAKY TREE**

* * *

As light filled Cade's eyes again, he saw even more oddities that he knew trees should just not ever have. First of all, trees were not hollow like a cavern. Second, limbs didn't grow on the inside of trees… that should not be hollow in the first place! And thirdly, there shouldn't be spider webs and Spinarak all over the walls and ceiling. The entire team cowered at the sight of all the Spinarak.

"Ooooh Shiftry…" Kaim mumbled. "I think I found the nest Ziggs."

"No, ya'think?" Ziggs whispered back violently.

"Both of you shush!" Cade ordered with a sharp whisper of his own. "Look, they're not reacting to us at all. Maybe they're asleep." Cade was still looking in the webs when he spotted a fleck of blue amongst the green. Focusing harder, he could make out two long ears and a little round head with blue cheeks.

"Hey… I think I found Minun you guys!" Cade exclaimed relieved. He pointed up in the direction of the blue, and Kaim and Ziggs followed the direction to see it too.

Ziggs grumbled, annoyed with the situation. "Dangit, it looks like he was caught by the Spinarak. Good thing we came when we did or he'd be their next meal."

"That… was better left unsaid," Kaim told Ziggs, disgusted with the prospect.

"Well, let's not all go at once to the rescue!" Cade made a motion to step forward, but his arm was quickly wrapped by a vine and pulled until he fell back on his tail.

"Hey, what gives Ziggs?" he asked as he got back up.

"This place is a Spinarak nest. They wouldn't all just sleep like this without leaving it unprotected," Ziggs explained, his face deadly serious. "Watch…" He knelt down and puffed a small cloud of green spores from his bulb. It floated out in front of them and slowly began to expand. As the cloud dispersed, some spores still lingered in midair in linear formations.

"There are practically invisible threads all over the place," he pointed out. "Most likely, each one is connected to the main web. Touching one will send vibrations through the whole nest and wake them up. That's more bug than I want to deal with."

"Well then how are we gonna get up to Minun?" Kaim asked.

"We could keep using Ziggs spores to point out the webs, and then climb our way up the branches," Cade suggested.

"That would work if we weren't walking into the spores," Ziggs answered. "Then you'd be sleeping too."

"Wait, Cade, didn't we have a Chesto berry in that bag?" Kaim asked.

Cade quickly opened the pack and shuffled through the contents.

"Hey pass me an apple while you're at it," Ziggs mumbled eyeing the plump red fruit greedily.

Cade offered the apple to Ziggs and took one out for Kaim as well. Kaim took it and nibbled on it happily, but Cade nearly lost some fingers when Ziggs chomped down on the fruit while it was still in his palm. He finished the whole thing in three bites. Ignoring his near loss of digits, Cade dove back into the bag and took out an apple for himself and the Chesto berry.

"Ok, what's this for?" he asked before taking a bite of apple.

"Well, maybe if we split and share this between the three of us we'll be resistant to the spores' effect." Kaim explained. He took another bite of his apple. "Chesto are known for keeping Pokemon wide awake."

"Not bad Kaim! You're thinking like an adventurer now!" Ziggs complimented. "Though I think it'd be best if it was shared between the two of you. I'm pretty resilient to my own spores."

Cade nodded, and then took a bite out of the Chesto berry. Memories of coffee beans surfaced instantly from the bitter taste and crunchy texture. It was also very dry and seemed to soak up all the saliva in his mouth. Needless to say, it was a little hard going down.

"Ick, ok Kaim you're turn." Cade motioned for Kaim to take the other half. Kaim did so, and ate the rest of the berry. Cade imagined he had the same disgruntled face Kaim had now when he ate the berry.

"Bleck. Chesto berries are never any good," he commented before quickly scarfing down some more bites of apple to rid his mouth of the taste.

Cade noticed then an odd feeling well up inside his whole body. He wanted to say queasiness, but he wasn't sick. It felt like his very cells were shaking, and he found the effects of the Chesto berry really uncomfortable.

"Oh,I wouldn't say never good Kaim," Ziggs replied. "But anyway, let's get this over with. I'm gonna burst a whole bunch of spores throughout the tree. Hopefully it'll help keep the Spinarak asleep too. Cover your mouths with your scarves just in case."

The two did as told and quickly covered their mouths with the fabric. Kaim, still enamored with Lumen's gift, pulled the goggles down over his eyes once more.

Ziggs then released an even greater cloud of spores throughout the entirety of the tree. Even with the Chesto berry, Cade couldn't help but feel himself uncontrollably relax. But the jitters the Chesto had given him kept him on his toes. Soon enough, the spores had rested upon surfaces throughout the tree, and thin lines of green were stretching all over the room.

Ziggs looked in every direction, trying to plot a course to the web at the top where Minun was.

"Ok, here's the deal," he started. "I'm gonna grapple myself up there and cut Minun free with a Razor Leaf. Unfortunately it will mean Minun is gonna fall."

"Wait, what? That's not good! He'll just hit the ground!" Kaim exclaimed.

"And trip all the threads stretching across the middle of the tree," Cade added.

"That's where you two come in. You'll wait down here ready to catch Minun. Cade, if you use Water Gun you should be able to slow the Minun's descent."

"But Ziggs, I-" Cade started.

"No buts, this is how it's goin' down. It'd be easier if Minun wasn't suspended over mid-air, but that isn't the case. Can I count on you guys to catch Minun?"

Cade was, of course, unsure that he could even fire off another Water Gun. The last one was completely on accident. He looked nervously from Ziggs and Kaim, unsure what to say.

"We'll catch 'em Ziggs," Kaim answered for the both of them. Cade turned to Kaim wanting to shout, "Perhaps you forgot. I am an inept Totodile who can drown on his own Water Gun!" But he couldn't bring himself to say anything at all, and in the end ended up agreeing. "Yeah…we'll catch 'em."

"Great. I'll get up there. When you see me at the top, give me the signal you're ready to catch Minun. Once we've got the little guy, we gotta bolt out of this tree like our lives depend on it…" Ziggs looked up again at the swarm of Spinarak. "Which they most likely will."

Ziggs flicked his vines at a thin but sturdy branch. They wrapped around it, and Ziggs pulled himself up to it. He continued using his vines to get higher and higher up the tree.

"…Ok that's cool," Cade muttered in amazement. "Ziggs can be pretty covert when he wants to be."

Ziggs made it to the top and looked down from his branch. Kaim and Cade weaved themselves through the threads to the center of the room. Before they gave the signal Kaim looked to Cade.

"You think you can do this?" Kaim asked his friend.

Cade didn't reply. He really was not sure he could pull it off.

"I don't Kaim, I really don't," he finally said. "I'm scared. What if I screw up? What if…"

"Cade! You're a Totodile! Believe me, you can use water attacks," Kaim told him, reinforcing something normally obvious. "I know, KNOW you can do this. Alright?"

Cade still wasn't too sure, but he nodded his affirmation. "Ok. You give the signal," he said, readying himself as best he can.

Kaim nodded back, and then gave a thumb up to Ziggs at the top. Ziggs waved a vine signifying he got it. Ziggs looked closely at the webs covering Minun, and picked out the weaker strands keeping him suspended on the web. "Here goes nothing. Sorry we didn't wake you up first little buddy, but get ready for a real ride."

Ziggs shot razor leaves at the webbing, effectively severing Minun from capture and setting him free falling to the two other members below. Minun's fall picked up more speed. It fell straight through many of the trap webs, cutting them and sending vibrations across the Spinarak's web. All this happened in slow motion for Cade, who was still trying to use Water Gun.

'I have to do this! They're counting on me! They need me!' he thought to himself, his emotions all haywire.

At the last moment, Cade felt a rush of cold from the Mystic Water. He grasped that feeling with his mind. It anchored his thoughts, and he suddenly felt in command.

Cade removed his scarf and opened his mouth. Out shot a rush of water as he exhaled. It hit the Minun, who splashed through the fountain. It plunged through the water and crashed right into Cade's gaping maw, knocking him back despite the cushioned fall and sending water everywhere.

"Cade! Cade you alright!" Kaim asked, flailing his arms around frantically. He was also trying his best to stay dry.

"AAAAAAHHHH, HELP!" came a high pitched squeal. "HEEELP! I'm being eaten alive by a wild Totodile! Somebody help please!"

"Mphmphr! Umfpmhphrefr!" Cade replied eloquently, trying to force the bundle of web and thrashing Minun out of his mouth. It did little to help calm down the Minun unfortunately, who was still yelling.

"AAAAAAAH! AAAAaaaahhh..haaaaa…zzzzzz…" And then, just as quickly as Minun had woken up, the squealer had fallen asleep.

"Must have been Ziggs Spores," Kaim figured. He then grabbed onto the Minun and helped Cade pry it out of his mouth. With a sound 'pop!' Cade's mouth was empty and he quickly put the scarf over his mouth again.

"Kaim, I did it! I did it, I used Water Gun! Yes, yes, yes!" Cade, for the first time ever, did something completely characteristic of a Totodile. He began to bounce, and then dance ecstatically. "Who's awesome? I'm awesome! What's that, who's awesome? I'm aweso- Kaim, whats with the face? I like my awesome dance."

Kaim would have been all for sharing in his friend's excitement if it wasn't for the mass of Spinarak descending down behind Cade. They slid down on webs and crawled off the walls and across the floors. They made little sound, except for the occasional quiet clack of fang against fang.

"C-Cade… C-C-Cade… S-Ssssspinaraks…" he mumbled in sheer terror, a shaking finger pointing behind the croc.

It didn't take Cade long to realize what this meant. He turned slowly to see the swarm of green, now all hissing violently at the intruders.

"…Oh balls…" was all he could mutter before a storm of web and poison barbs was shot at the three Pokemon.

Cade, now with a mediocre hold on his attack, took off the scarf and fired off Water Gun at the hoard of bugs and their attacks. The water sprayed over the webbing and needles, taking attacks aimed directly at the party down and a few Spinarak with it. Offended, the Spinarak remaining continued their assault. Again, Cade countered with his Water Gun and took down another couple Spinarak. This continued on until there were significantly less Spinarak remaining. But it was taking its toll on Cade, who was getting worn from firing off so many Water Guns and breathing in the spores.

"You'd think the spores Ziggs released would have had at least some effect on them!" Cade yelled in frustration. "You guys must have had a pretty nice nap!"

"It's one good way to get practice on an attack you're not good with I guess," Kaim replied mockingly.

"We have to get out of here before the Spinarak from the outside come crawling back in!" Cade exclaimed.

"Well then where is Ziggs? We can't lea-"

"TIIIIMBEEEEEER!"

A large limb fell in between the party and the hoard of Spinarak, knocking up dirt and making a loud bang. The log even shattered in some places. When the dust cleared, Ziggs was standing triumphantly on top, his vines wrapped tightly around the limb, and the Spinarak were now stuck between a limb and the tree wall. Ziggs looked down underneath the log.

"…Hope nobody was under that… " he muttered looking down from atop. Webs and Poison Sting were his only reply. "Yipe, time to disembark!" he retracted his vines and hopped off towards his comrades.

Cade's mouth was on the floor. "Ziggs…how did… Why are you so awesome?"

"I eat organic, how's that for an answer?" Ziggs retorted. "Kaim, forget being conservative!" he ordered the Charmander. "Light that log up like the sun!"

Kaim didn't hesitate, instantly removing his scarf. With a blast of heat a stream of fire licked across the log. The fire spread across the log, forcing the Spinarak to stay far away from it and preventing a simple climb over. The spores littered across the ground and floating mid-air became shining embers.

"Ok, now let's quick get the heck out of herrrre hello!" Ziggs turned towards the exit to find not Spinarak but a huge Ariados guarding the door, a thick web spun inside the archway already preventing any easy retreat. It glared at them, its purple eyes an even deeper black, and drooling venom from its fangs. It was most definitely a Forgotten One.

Ziggs growled, fed up with the tight situation. "Just great, as if the Spinarak weren't enough, now I have their overprotective mom in front and my best friend fire on my tail. Kaim!"

"On it!" Another blast of fire jetted towards the Ariados. But just as it was going roast the bug alive, a jet black wave of darkness pierced through the fire and slammed right into Kaim. It knocked him off his feet and rolling across the floor until he hit the wall of the tree.

"Kaim!" Cade yelled out to his friend, who was struggling to get onto his feet. "Ziggs what was that attack!"

"The Ariados can use Night Shade! It's more effective the more powerful the user is," Ziggs explained. "If it can knock down Kaim in just one shot, we've got one tough cookie on our hands!" Ziggs stood up on his front legs and fired off a Bullet Seed at the Ariados. It hit successfully, and suddenly the seeds rapidly sprouted all over the Ariados. They gave off a faint green light as they sprouted more shoots, and glowed even more as Ariados began to hiss and screech in discomfort.

"Alright! Bullet-Leech Seed is a success!" Ziggs cheered. "Cade, get over there and help Kaim out! Give him an Oran berry if he needs it! I'll hold off Fatty over here as long as I can, but we need fire!"

"Ah, right!" Cade realized that he was actually being called on to do something. He was still busy taking in the attack, but cleared his head and dashed over to his friend. Kaim was still trying to stand, but Cade put a hand on his shoulder and knelt down to him. He looked kind of comical with his goggles all askew.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy, alright?" Cade told Kaim. He reached into the bag and pulled out an Oran berry. "Here, eat it this."

Kaim took the Oran berry and popped the whole thing into his mouth, chewing softly and then vigorously as he gained back his energy. Cade took the moment to concentrate, and then used Aqua Ring. The arcs of water materialized and rotated around themselves and over the two Pokemon, glowing blue like the sky.

"Well, isn't this déjà vu for you?" Kaim joked at the situation.

"Hey, be thankful I can heal in the first place. We have to hurry now though, those flames on the log are spreading and I don't know if Ziggs can take that Ariados on by himself," Cade explained.

"No, I can tell you he definitely can't face it himself! Look!" Kaim pointed towards the Ariados, who now had Ziggs wrapped in his very own personal cocoon. Its fangs, dripping green slime, were poised dangerously close to the Bulbasaur's horrified face.

He didn't really know what he was thinking when he did it, but Cade charged at the Ariados and left the Aqua Ring to heal Kaim before the Charmander could dissuade him.

"Hey Bug Eyes!" Cade yelled at the spider pokemon as he rushed forward. The Ariados looked up in time to get a face full of water, pushing him away from Ziggs. When it opened its eyes again, it saw no assailant.

That's because Cade was behind Ariados.

"I'm the only one doing the biting here!" Cade opened wide and bit down hard on the Ariados' abdomen. It shrieked in a mixture of shock and pain and flailed its legs wildly in all directions.

"Blechk! Jou know muggy, yur mud dathes awfol!" Cade shouted with a mouth full of bug. He bit down harder, much to the Ariados' infinite displeasure. Fed up with this, it flipped its back side up into the air, flicking Cade off. He fell down hard on the ground, but stood back up refusing to give in.

'Keep it up Cadence!' he told himself in his mind. He started bouncing on his feet to keep mobile, his heart filling with adrenaline and his Totodile instincts telling him to keep moving.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd like that. You should think about that the next time you sink your fangs into something. You got nothing on these chompers!" he mocked the spider Pokemon.

"Cade, you can't take that thing on by yourself!" Ziggs warned the newbie Totodile.

"Don't worry, Kaim'll be ready to join me soon enough! Just look at him!" Cade told the Saur.

"I can't kinda. I'm a Metapod at the moment."

"Haha. You sooo funn- ahck!" Cade dodged out of the way before a ball of purple goo almost slammed into his face. The Ariados had now taken to propping its abdomen up with the appendages on its back. It fired the purple goops over and over from the stinger on its rear, but Cade managed to dodge them all.

"Is that all you got, Bug Eyes?" Cade kept taunting as he danced away from the sludge bombs. He shot a few forceful balls of water at it, and it seemed to be doing some damage.

Ariados eventually had enough. It got back into a normal position, and Cade saw the horn on its head glowing with a deep dark purple. There was little warning otherwise before it started screeching loudly and fired off Night Shades in number at the Totodile. Cade was still managing to dodge, but it was much harder. This attack was faster. He tripped mid-dodge on his scarf and fell flat on his face, looking up to see Ariados charge a Night Shade that would surely hit. But at the last moment, and explosion of flame engulfed the whole spider. When the flame died down, Ariados' charred body dropped to the floor.

Cade looked up to see Kaim by Ziggs, breathing heavily. "Got 'im!" he announced triumphantly.

Cade ran over to the two, now quarrelling on whether Kaim should burn the web. Ziggs, despite his weakness for fire, allowed Kaim to burn it away with his tail flame _very gingerly_ before he moved onto the Minun. Meanwhile, Cade was keeping the fire climbing up the tree in check with his water. He didn't want to destroy the Spinaraks' home, but he made sure he didn't douse the log in order to keep the hoard in check.

Finally, Ziggs and Minun were both free from the webs. Kaim picked up Minun and held him on his back, and burned through the webs in the exit. Cade put out the last of the flames in the tree, and the team rushed out of the tree without wasting time to say anything.

* * *

Darkness blanketed Cade's vision as he trudged through the tunnel in the tree. And then light pierced his sight, and he shielded his eyes as he came into the bright daylight outside Tugley Woods.

"Wait, we're… we're outside the forest! Ziggs we exited the dungeon!" Cade claimed happily.

"Ufffff…excellent…" he groaned as he collapsed on a patch of warm grass.

"Ah, quick Kaim. Put Minun next to him. I'll heal them both." Cade told his friend.

Kaim nodded and leaned Minun up against Ziggs' bulb. The arcs of water danced and swirled into existence once again.

"Geez, that really is handy," Kaim muttered. "I don't think I would have been able to keep fighting otherwise."

"Aaahh, you give me too much credit," the croc replied modestly. "You did have an Oran berry at the same time y'know?"

"Well, yeah… but still!"

"Mmmm… water…" Ziggs mumbled with a goofy smile.

Cade chuckled a little. "I wonder how we got out of the forest in the first place?" he asked Kaim hoping for an answer. The Charmander shrugged his shoulders.

"Well… there you go treating it like a normal forest again Cade. It is a mystery dungeon," Ziggs explained from his place on the ground "How and why it does those things is a mystery!"

"Oh, you really are conscious. I thought you were just mumbling before," Cade giggled.

"Mmmm… don't care. Need food please,"

Cade reached into the bag to pull out another apple for Ziggs and handed it off to a vine. Ziggs chomped down on the apple and got back up, gulping the fruit down quickly. Within moments the fruit was gone, and Ziggs was smacking his lips.

"Much better!" Ziggs explained with a smile before noticing the arcs of water surrounding him. "Cade, you didn't tell me you could use Aqua Ring. That's awesome, how'd you learn it!"

"Ohhh… you know…I don't remember…hehe," he mumbled in reply.

"Man, that amnesia really got you didn't it? Sorry buddy," Ziggs apologized with a concerned frown.

"Hey, don't let it get you down too. I'm sure it'll come to me eventually."

"Alright. Well, let's talk about it later. Right now though, we have a Minun to wake up." Cade was happy to oblige, though he hoped he could dodge the discussion later as well. It was really annoying not wanting to give answers he didn't have in the first place.

Kaim had started looking over the Minun once the Aqua Ring surrounding the little mouse dispersed. A few good shakes and soon its eyes were blinking open.

"Wha, huh? Wh-where am I? Who are you?" asked Minun. Then suddenly it started looking around for something. "Ah! The bugs! Where are they, they had me! The Totodile, the webs, the teeth! Oooh!" Kaim had a good idea that it was a young girl by now, judging from how shrill and squeaky her voice was.

"Hey hey now, it's all good!" Kaim consoled the little one as he offered the other Chesto berry. "We're a rescue team. We got you out of the tree. You're safe now."

"Really?" she asked gleefully as she took the Chesto berry and started chewing it. "Oh…oh thank you so mu- AHHHH! THE TEETH! He tried to eat me!" she screamed jamming a finger at Cadence utterly horrified. She scrambled to her feet and hid behind Kaim. "Please mister, don't let 'em eat me!"

Cade grumbled a little at first, annoyed by the accusation. It really wasn't even his fault.

"Listen, I'm sorry that happened. I was trying to help catch you bu-"

"But what? You ended up feeling starved at the last second, you beast!" Minun shouted accusingly.

"But he's telling the truth you know. I was there too, and I can tell you it was a complete accident," Kaim attempted to explain to the Minun.

She stared harshly at Cade for a few moment before turning her gaze from him.

"You have my thanks, Totodile. But not my favor," the Minun retorted.

'Who does she think she is, a princess?' Cade thought rashly, but he kept a calm attitude on the outside. "You're…welcome? And it's Cadence if you're wondering."

The Minun made no reply. For a moment there was awkward silence between all four of them.

"So, uuhmmm, what's your name?" Ziggs queried in order to break the silence.

"Oh yeah! My name is Meena!" she explained, suddenly all giddy and happy again. "Meena Alice Aretha Carol is my whole name. But I just go by Meena. I hate being called Meany, that's rude, and sounds like a boy's name! So please, if you have to ever call me something, call me Meena!"

Meena continued on the etymology of her name and why her mother named her that, while the three rescuers merely looked at each other with clueless faces.

"Well, Meena, could you tell us…Meena… Meena," Ziggs kept calling her name in order to get attention.

"…And then one day my mom mentioned something about my name and a writ- Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"Could you tell us why you went into the woods to begin with? It's a little dangerous to be in there alone," Ziggs got in before she could start talking again.

"Oh, easy! I had an assignment from my teacher to do a report on the Tugley Woods. I was going on a self-assigned field trip to gather research," she explained rather matter of factly.

Cade face palmed. He couldn't help it; how could she sound so stupid and yet so smart in the same sentence?

"Well, did you get the info you were after?" Cade asked grudgingly.

"Oh yes! That nest the Spinarak caught me in within the tree was fascinating! And the way the bugs all moved as if the whole of them were all a single mind was incredible!" she exclaimed happily. "I had absolutely no chance for escape. By the way, who are you guys?"

"We're a group of rescuers from the Guiding Light Exploration Guild," Ziggs introduced. "My name is Ziggs, and I represent Team Wuji, my leader Reiki, and Guild Master Lumen. These are my partners Kaim and Cadence." Cade and Kaim both couldn't help notice how odd Ziggs sounded when he spoke so formally.

"We were sent by a Plusle named Kros to rescue you. Do you know him?" asked Kaim

"Ah! That was my brother," she explained. "He's such a worry-wart, having to hire a rescue team to come and get me only after about a day."

"Meena!" Cade exclaimed. "You were about to become Bug-Lunch!"

"Oh, and I'm sure you would have been completely adverse to that idea you blood-thirsty monster!" she shouted viciously in return.

"Ooookay! I say we stop this idle chatter and get a move on back home, whaddya say Ziggs?" Kaim suggested to the Saur enthusiastically while keeping a firm grip on Meena's head so she didn't charge at Cade.

"Yes let's do so, right Cade?" Ziggs replied happily trying to convince a now growling Totodile. "You guys just go on ahead and we'll catch up!"

"Oh, ok. See you in a sec. Meena, let's go ahead and start back home."

Meena smiled kindly, ditching her vicious air in a flash. "Okey-dokey Mr. Kaim!" And so the two started down the road back to Crescent Town, Meena continuing on about her class project and how she called the big tree she was in the Tummy Tree… of all things.

Cade glared at the Minun's turned back. "Well, she's certainly a grateful one isn't she?" he spat.

"Well, can you blame her? She did kinda wake up in your mouth," Ziggs reminded him. "Still, I have to admit… she sure has a mouth of her own. But so it goes with rescue missions. Sometimes the clients are just…difficult. But as for the adventuring part, I'd say you handled yourself pretty nicely."

Cade smiled happily. "You think so?"

"Of course! For one, it's always good to have a healer on the team. That was a nice surprise! And the way you fought with that Forgotten Ariados was rather impressive, even if it was a little foolish for doing so alone."

Cade grinned wider yet, taking into full consideration that he had tackled a Forgotten One on his first mission and came out of it more or less unscathed. "I'm glad I was able to help!"

"You did more than help bud. You rocked! You're gonna do the team some good for sure."

Cade scoffed. "Phht, sure. This coming from the guy who rode a falling tree limb into the ground."

"Ahhhh, I have my moments," Ziggs replied modestly.

"Heeeeey! Are you guys coming or what!" Kaim called from a distance. "Trust me, you definitely want to hear all about Meena's collection of tree leaves! You can't miss out on it!"

Ziggs and Cade chuckled for a moment.

"I think we should go help him," Ziggs suggested.

"Ha! I really would be a monster if I didn't," Cade joked.

The two ran quickly to catch up with Kaim and their client, eager to fully complete their mission and get home as soon as possible.


End file.
